CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) – A Hammond man has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of his 10-year-old son in 2011.
The Times of Munster reports 35-year-old Jason Lee DeGroot Sr. entered the plea as part of an agreement with prosecutors in which they agreed to dismiss a murder charge. Under the agreement, he admitted to shooting his son Jason DeGroot Jr. in the back on Nov. 14, 2011.
Authorities say DeGroot then attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself.
The boy's grandmother, Leslie Zoliner-Gradi, said she intends to ask ake County Criminal Judge Diane Boswell to sentence DeGroot to 55 years in prison. The plea deal calls for him to spend at least 32 years in prison.
Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 25.
