CORTEZ — A 22-year-old man accused of killing and dismembering his sexually abusive father will spend three years in prison after pleading guilty in an agreement with prosecutors.
Jeremiah Raymond Berry plead guilty to manslaughter and menacing Friday during an emotional court hearing in which family members and attorneys described him as a troubled young man who was the victim of years of abuse.
“Jeremiah stopped a cycle of abuse. He’s not a cold-blooded killer,” said his mother, Rita Gallegos. “His father was a monster, and Jeremiah was a victim.”
Berry, who cried throughout his sentencing hearing, had been charged with second-degree murder for the February 2008 death of his father, 42-year-old Jack Berry. Jeremiah Berry had faced 48 years in prison if convicted of that charge in Montezuma County. He had previously pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but doctors concluded during two mental evaluations that he was competent to stand trial.
Jeremiah Berry shot his father in the head, and then dismembered his corpse to feed parts of it to coyotes, according to court documents. Authorities said they also found some of Jack Berry’s body parts encased in a bucket with concrete.
Jeremiah Berry told police he killed his father after his father raped him. He said his father told him that day he had been told by God his son needed a sex change to become his wife.
District Attorney Jim Wilson said the plea agreement is an attempt to give Berry “what he needs to be a constructive member of society.”
“He is a victim just like he is a defendant. He’s a troubled young man,” Wilson said.
Berry’s sentence also calls for 10 years of intense supervised probation after his release.
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Information from: Cortez Journal,
