Plea Agreement in ‘Death Party’ Case
NEW ULM, Minn. (AP) — A southwestern Minnesota man who said he threw a "death party" for his wife and gave her methamphetamine has pleaded guilty to criminal neglect.
Fifty-nine-year-old Duane Johnson entered the plea Monday in Brown County Circuit Court. The Free Press says a third-degree murder charge will be dismissed as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Johnson told authorities he held a "death party" for his wife after she begged him to take her home from a nursing home to die. Sixty-nine-year-old Debra Johnson was found dead in their home last January. An autopsy showed she died of methamphetamine toxicity.
Prosecutors say the plea deal calls for a three-year prison sentence. Sentencing guidelines call for a four-year term.
A judge will decide whether to approve the recommended sentence on Aug. 12.