Second teen pleads guilty to assault in Great Frederick Fair homicide
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Second teen pleads guilty to assault in Great Frederick Fair homicide
By Jeremy Arias jarias@newspost.com Jul 8, 2020 Updated 1 min ago
The second of two teen brothers charged in the death of a man at the Great Frederick Fair last year pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in Frederick County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
The 16-year-old and his 15-year-old brother were charged after the death of 59-year-old Mount Airy resident John Weed following an assault that occurred on the midway at the fairgrounds on Sept. 20, according to previous reports. The younger brother pleaded guilty to a single count of manslaughter on April 29 as part of an agreement reached with prosecutors that would see his remaining assault charges dropped. The younger brother was ultimately ordered to remain in a juvenile detention facility to complete a behavioral modification program at a subsequent sentencing hearing held May 15.
The 16-year-old, who was facing two charges of second-degree assault including one count for spitting on Weed after he fell pleaded guilty to a single count Wednesday before Judge Julie Stevenson Solt, according to a press release issued Wednesday afternoon by the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office.
Law enforcement officials and prosecutors previously stated the boys assaulted Weed after the 15-year-old approached him and asked for money. During the ensuing scuffle, Weed was punched repeatedly in the head, with the 15-year-old landing the final blow that left Weed unresponsive on the ground, according to previous stories.
Charlie Smith, the county's state's attorney, confirmed that the 16-year-old specifically pleaded guilty to the assault charge related to spitting on Weed after he had fallen, explaining that Weed's family was consulted beforehand regarding the plea and the likely disposition.
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