OAKLAND — Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Charles Minnick, 47, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the May 2011 slaying of Timothy Brandon Field Lax by Judge Jim Sherbin in circuit court on Friday.
Minnick entered an Alford plea in February for two counts of first-degree murder for the slayings of 24-year-old Lax and 18-year-old Jessica Irene Baker.
Under this plea, Minnick did not concede to being guilty of the murders but acknowledged that the state had sufficient evidence and would likely find him guilty. After hearing the statement of facts, Sherbin found Minnick guilty on both counts of first-degree murder.
Prior to Minnick’s sentencing hearing, defense attorney Joseph Owens made a verbal motion to the court for Minnick to withdraw his guilty plea to one count.
Minnick was adamant that he had not killed Baker, according to a news release.
After conferring with the victims’ families and reviewing various legal issues, State’s Attorney Lisa Thayer Welch agreed for Minnick’s plea to be withdrawn with the specification that the state could request that Minnick receive a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
Under the agreement as entered in February 2011, the state had withdrawn its notice of intent to seek a sentence of imprisonment without the possibility of parole, leaving the maximum sentence available as life with the possibility of parole for each count, according Welch.
“The state is not conceding to any of the factual allegations being made by defendant, but agreed to this resolution with the hope that Sherbin would sentence as he did — to life without parole,” said Welch in the news release.
“This provides a measure of finality to the families of the victims, clarification of the procedures to reduce potential appellate and post-conviction issues and, most importantly, assures a dangerous criminal will not be free to walk the streets of Garrett County, or any other community, in the future.”
During Minnick’s trial in February Sherbin said that he could receive two consecutive life terms.
Investigators with the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office arrested Minnick on June 3, 2011, for the murders of Lax and Baker, whose bodies were found in a campsite near the railroad tracks in Oakland.
Police found Minnick’s Smith & Wesson knife in the Youghiogheny River, in three feet of water, about 15 feet from Baker’s body.
Police concluded that the knife was “very consistent to killing Lax and could have been used to kill Baker,” according to the statement of facts. Three people confirmed to police that the knife did belong to Minnick.
Minnick, who grew up in nearby Mount Storm, W.Va., had recently returned to the area from North Carolina after serving time for a 1987 sexual offense in Cumberland County, N.C. That crime, described in public records as a forcible act of intercourse, led to Minnick being placed on the national sex offender registry. He registered in Maryland in March of last year.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Local News
Related Photos
-
JEFFREY MINNICK
Garrett man, 47, gets life without parole
Minnick adamant that he had not killed one victim
- Local News
-
-
It’s high time for DelFest to fire up local economy
For the time being, I’m going to drop being a reporter covering DelFest for a moment and approach the community I grew up in and currently reside in from an opportunity perspective that shoots from the heart.
-
Raises for 911 workers for next 3 years
County emergency dispatchers will see increases in pay for the next three years under a contract signed by workers and Allegany County Thursday evening.
-
Some area pools set to open this weekend
The arrival of the Memorial Day weekend also means the unofficial start of the summer season — and a chance to go swimming at area pools.
-
City’s historic Gordon-Roberts House appoints new director
Sharon Nealis, who retired Friday after 18 years as executive director of The Gordon-Roberts House on Washington Street, believes the enthusiasm and youth of her replacement will benefit the popular historical attraction.
-
Oakland man, 32, charged in blaze at ex’s home
A joint investigation by the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Garrett County Sheriff’s Office has resulted in the arrest of an Oakland man for allegedly setting fire to his ex-girlfriend’s home last Sunday.
-
Two officer assaults prompt prison lockdown at Somerset
Serious assaults of two correctional officers in the last two weeks prompted a lockdown of the Somerset Correctional Institution for a second day Friday, according to Heidi Sroka, SCI public information officers and superintendent assistant.
-
A senior moment
-
Inmate confesses to 1982 Morgan County homicide
A Berkeley Springs man serving a 321-year prison sentence following a 1993 crime rampage that included the rapes of two West Virginia women has confessed to strangling a Berkeley Springs woman in 1982 and putting her body in the Potomac River near Berkeley Springs, officials with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday.
-
Women charged in Meyersdale meth case
A methamphetamine dump found last week near Meyersdale has led state police to two women they accuse of helping to supply ingredients to the meth-makers.
-
Officials plan for Jamboree traffic
Transportation officials are making plans for the expected rush of traffic during the 10-day National Boy Scout Jamboree in July.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Suspect in Killing of Officer Found Dead in Cell
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Jersey Shore Open for Business
Officials: Truck Hit Bridge Before Collapse
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Obama Defends Drone Strikes, With Limits
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
