Demetries Thorpe pleaded guilty this morning to first-degree murder in the killing of his girlfriend’s 5-month-old son.
In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed Thorpe’s maximum sentence would be 35 years.
Joshua Summeries went missing from Zion in August 2013, prompting a massive search involving 200 police officers and emergency workers.
Thorpe, 27, initially told Joshua’s mother that someone had reached in the window and taken the baby, court records stated.
When questioned by police, Thorpe admitted putting his hand over Joshua’s mouth to stop the infant’s crying, then put the baby in a backpack and threw the bag into a garbage can in an alley behind his Zion home. Thorpe was later captured on video moving the backpack from the garbage can to a large metal trash bin and watching as a garbage truck emptied the bin.
Workers searched the 330-acre landfill in Zion, but Joshua’s body was never found.
“I feel this result brings us one step closer to justice for Joshua Summeries, his family and the community,” said Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim. “This will ultimately help in providing the closure the family as well as the community deserves.”
Joshua’s mother sat quietly during the court hearing in Waukegan and spoke briefly with Nerheim and others after the hearing. When the meeting ended, she bolted out of the conference room wailing.
“The emotions caught up with her,” Nerheim said. “This is never easy for anybody.”
Thorpe will be required to serve 100 percent of any sentence given, prosecutors said. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 2.
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