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Gene Kennedy reporting Walter White, the man charged in the death of a 16-year-old Samantha Mikesell, entered his plea this morning. White told the Davis County Court he is guilty of most of the charges against him.
Bountiful police say White and Mikesell made a suicide pact, went to Mueller Park Canyon, drank alcohol and took anti-depressants. Both passed out. White woke up. Mikesell didn't.
White pleaded guilty to four charges including child abuse homicide. Two other charges were dropped. The state felt the plea deal was a better option than taking the case to trial.
Troy Rawlings, Deputy Davis County attorney: "She died from pills that were his prescription. So we had some circumstantial evidence. But as far as proving what his state of mind was or wasn't, we thought we got the maximum possible resolution that the law allows."
Walter White will be sentenced in mid-December. He could face a maximum of 20 years behind bars.
Samantha's father, Craig Mikesell, feels the state did a good job with a tough case.
Craig Mikesell, Victim's Father: "I think that the attorney did the best job that he could. He got the maximum sentence that he could."
If the state had managed to convict White on all the charges against him, he possibly could have been sentenced to a lot more time in prison.
