By Dave O’Brien
Record-Courier staff writer
One of four defendants charged in a July 2 burglary, robbery and beating of a Rootstown man that resulted in his death pleaded guilty Friday to all three felony charges she faced in the case.
Jodi L. Fetty, of 3647 McClintocksburg Road, Palmyra, entered the plea in front of Portage County Common Pleas Judge Laurie Pittman.
Fetty, 28, pleaded guilty to murder, an unclassified felony, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, both first-degree felonies, stemming from the July 2 robbery and beating and subsequent July 30 death of Richard A. Lowther, 68, of Rootstown.
She remains in the Portage County jail, in lieu of a $5 million bond.
The matter was set for a status hearing Friday morning, Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci said, when Fetty’s attorney, Christopher Van Devere, had a conversation with prosecutors indicating that Fetty would plead guilty and cooperate with the prosecution in the case.
Fetty “has indicated through her attorney that she wishes to cooperate in some way,” Vigluicci said, adding that there was no plea agreement between the two sides, and no promises or recommendations made by his office to Fetty or her attorney prior to the plea.
A message seeking comment was left for Van Devere.
A trial had been scheduled for Jan. 20 in Pittman’s courtroom. The matter was sent for a pre-sentence investigation, Vigluicci said. The complicity to murder charge carries a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. The aggravated burglary and robbery charges each carry a sentence of three to 10 years in prison.
She had been indicted Aug. 17 on three charges: Complicity to murder, an unclassified felony, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, both first-degree felonies. Fetty had pleaded not guilty to the charges Aug. 21, and was incarcerated in the Portage County jail on $5 million bond.
Fetty and the other defendants — Darrell L. Dukes, 22, and Jonathan H. Dukes, 23, both of Ravenna, and Cortez M. Oliver, 20, of Fairlawn — are alleged to have beaten Lowther July 2 at his Tallmadge Road home. They made off with $185 in commemorative quarters, police said.
Hospitalized at Akron City Hospital following the attack, Lowther was left paralyzed from the chest down, and died July 30 from his injuries. Charges against the four defendants were upgraded to murder Aug. 17 by a Portage County grand jury.
Fetty previously had been charged with felonious assault for allegedly stabbing a boyfriend in the arm during a drunken argument in April 2008, but was not indicted by a Portage County grand jury, according to Vigluicci and Portage County court records. Other than that case, she has only a minor criminal record in Portage County.
Vigluicci would not say if any of the other three defendants have approached him or his staff with potential plea agreements.
Jonathan Dukes is set for trial Jan. 5 in Portage County Common Pleas Court Judge John Enlow’s courtroom. A trial for Oliver is set for Feb. 2 in Pittman’s courtroom, and Darrell Dukes is scheduled for trial Feb. 25, also in Pittman’s courtroom.