27-year-old will spend 15 to 30 years in prison for fatally shooting father
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Caln Township Police officers responded to the 200 block of Seltzer Avenue on Feb. 20, 2012, where they found a son who had murdered his father.
A Caln Township murder case that left a family grieving – and divided – ended Wednesday in Chester County Court.
Senior Judge Thomas G. Gavin accepted a plea agreement for Derek J. Smith, 27, convicted of fatally shooting his father, 51-year-old Stephen Washington, on Feb. 20, 2012.
The plea bargain, negotiated by Deputy District Attorney Michelle Frei and defense attorney Christian J. Hoey, calls for Smith to serve a 15- to 30-year sentence for third-degree murder followed by five years’ probation.
Frei said a number of factors influenced the agreement, including the defendant’s lack of any criminal history, his documented mental health history, and his acceptance of responsibility. She said some of Smith’s relatives considered the punishment too harsh while others deemed it too lenient.
“No one wins in this case,” said Frei. “It has been an unspeakable tragedy for both the Smith and Washington family. The Commonwealth hopes that this plea provides the family with much needed peace and closure.”
Police said they became involved in the homicide after receiving a dispatch for a shooting in the 200 block of Seltzer Avenue at 6:50 p.m. on Feb. 20, 2012. Upon arrival, police said they found Washington with gunshot wounds inside the residence and located Smith outside the home.
After Smith was taken into custody, he waived his Miranda rights and admitted shooting his father, explaining that the two had a turbulent history, the criminal complaint said. Smith said he got a firearm from his bedroom on the second floor, loaded it, walked downstairs, had a verbal altercation with his father, who was not armed, in the living room and fired twice, the complaint said.
Smith said he then went outside and placed the .38-caliber pistol and some ammunition into a cinder block that was part of a fire pit on the property, the complaint said. Police recovered the firearm and ammunition where Smith said they would be, the complaint said.
