Father of slain Minn. boy Barway Collins: "I killed my son"
MINNEAPOLIS -- A Minnesota father charged with killing his 10-year-old son and throwing the boy in the Mississipi River has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Pierre Collins long denied any involvement in the death of his son, Barway. But he admitted Monday to striking the boy, binding him with duct tape and tossing him in the Mississippi near Minneapolis. The child's body was found in April, weeks after he disappeared March 18.
In pleading guilty to second-degree intentional murder, the 33-year-old Collins stated: "I killed my son."
He entered the plea Monday in Hennepin County court. Several people wept openly, including the boy's mother. She fell out of her chair when Collins admitted to the killing.
A grand jury indicted Collins on a first-degree murder charge in June, saying the murder was premeditated. Investigators reportedly said he killed his son for insurance money.
The first-degree murder charge was dropped as a part of his guilty plea, reports the station.
He was given the maximum sentence, 40 years, because the boy was considered vulnerable and because hiding Barway's body was particularly cruel.
Collins said he arrived home the day Barway was reported missing and found the boy outside playing, which he was not supposed to be doing because he was supposed to be inside after school, reports CBS Minnesota. He said he hit the boy, who fell to the ground and became unresponsive. He said he was scared of what would happen and took the boy to the river, taped the boy's limbs and threw him in the water, reports the station.
Police said surveillance video and cellphone recordings helped link Collins to the crime scene, reports the station.
Hennepin County records reportedly show Collins had been investigated for the abuse of his four other children two years before Barway disappeared. Collins' ex-wife won custody of the children, but Barway and another child remained in his home, reports the station.