Wyoming Valley Art League will hold a reading of “A Christmas Carol” Sunday, Nov. 29 to benefit Ruth’s Place

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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; In a lightning-fast turnaround, a jury in Luzerne County Wednesday convicted a Nanticoke man in the suffocation death of his son, 2&#189;-month-old Jaxon Eckrote.</p><p>Corey Eckrote, 50, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment after less than two days of testimony and fewer than 30 minutes of juror deliberation.</p><p>Judge David W. Lupas then revoked the man&#8217;s bail and ordered him remanded to county prison. Eckrote remained silent as sheriff&#8217;s deputies led him from the courthouse in handcuffs.</p><p>Assistant District Attorney Jenny Roberts said the manslaughter charge could land Eckrote behind bars for up to 10 years. Eckrote is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 18.</p><p>Roberts said although the verdict came quickly, she felt the jurors paid close attention and took their duties seriously.</p><p>Defense attorney Michael Butera wasn&#8217;t quite so sure.</p><p>Though he said he respects the jury&#8217;s decision, he&#8217;s skeptical a dozen people could come to agreement on such a serious offense in such little time.</p><p>&#8220;It makes me wonder,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Butera added that he felt the conviction was unfair, as Eckrote&#8217;s one-time co-defendant and Jaxon&#8217;s mother Tracey Ann Gonda was allowed to plead to less serious offenses. A similar plea deal was not afforded to his client, he said.</p><p>Earlier in the day, Roberts in her closing arguments painted Eckrote as a negligent father who fueled Jaxon&#8217;s mother&#8217;s addictions while he too drank frequently.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re here because of the 84 days Jaxon Eckrote lived, and the rest of his life he didn&#8217;t get to live,&#8221; she said.</p><p>She argued Eckrote shares responsibility in his son&#8217;s death, saying the man repeatedly left Jaxon under the sole supervision of an intoxicated Gonda, the infant&#8217;s mother, despite court orders prohibiting her from being alone with her children.</p><p>&#8220;Is it reasonable to supply alcohol to an addict and expect them to care for a newborn child?&#8221; Roberts said. &#8220;This was a foreseeable consequence.&#8221;</p><p>Roberts said Gonda&#8217;s addictions were known to her family and friends, including Eckrote.</p><p>Gonda, 42, of Nanticoke, pleaded guilty in September to her role in the child&#8217;s death, admitting to one felony count of endangering the welfare of a child and one misdemeanor count of corruption of minors.</p><p>Defense attorney Michael Butera meanwhile argued prosecutors were putting on a show, reaching to prove unreasonable charges.</p><p>&#8220;They&#8217;re trying to dazzle you with smoke and mirrors,&#8221; Butera said. &#8220;They want you to believe that Corey Eckrote committed these crimes in his sleep.&#8221;</p><p>Butera told jurors he does not dispute the facts of the case, but said the facts do not support a conviction of his client. As evidence of this, he pointed out Eckrote&#8217;s choice earlier not to testify, as well as his own indication to jurors that the defense would present no evidence.</p><p>He questioned why, if prosecutors felt Eckrote was a danger to his children, would they bring only one child endangerment charge against the man when he had custody of both of Gonda&#8217;s children, and made note of the fact Gonda&#8217;s plea deal allowed her to dodge the involuntary manslaughter charge.</p><p>&#8220;Who&#8217;s more culpable than her?&#8221; he said.</p><p>Testimony wrapped early in the trial&#8217;s second day before Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas.</p><p>Roberts called only one additional witness in the morning, evoking testimony from Nanticoke police Detective Capt. Robert Lehman outlining his role in the investigation.</p><p>Lehman testified to acquiring phone records and conducting searches of the home Eckrote and Gonda shared. During one of these searches, he said, he found a pacifier inside the recliner where Jaxon died.</p><p>Gonda testified Tuesday to falling asleep in the recliner while holding Jaxon early on Feb. 14 after Eckrote brought the baby to her around midnight.</p><p>When she awoke some time later, she said, she assumed Eckrote had taken Jaxon from her and she returned the recliner to its upright position before heading upstairs to bed.</p><p>Upon returning to the living room in the morning, Gonda found Jaxon dead, his legs sticking out of the recliner she had closed on him hours earlier, she said.</p><p>She also admitted in her testimony to drinking the night Jaxon died and to lying to police during the early stages of the investigation into the infant&#8217;s death, saying she provided false statements about how and where she found Jaxon&#8217;s body.</p><p>Eckrote told Lehman that on Feb. 13 he purchased &#8220;two n&#8212;&#8212;- drinks&#8221; for Gonda, Lehman testified. The detective said Eckrote explained he meant 24oz malt liquor beverages when prodded.</p><p>A self-described addict, Gonda said she used alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during her pregnancy, causing Jaxon to be born with a cocaine dependancy.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Sheriff's deputies lead Corey Eckrote from the Luzerne County Courthouse in handcuffs Wednesday afternoon following Eckrote's criminal conviction in the suffocation death of his infant son. James O'Malley | Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_EckroteHandcuffs1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Sheriff's deputies lead Corey Eckrote from the Luzerne County Courthouse in handcuffs Wednesday afternoon following Eckrote's criminal conviction in the suffocation death of his infant son. James O'Malley | Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL100414babydeath26.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Corey Eckrote </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_TTL100414babydeath26.jpg</photo1><caption1>Corey Eckrote </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_jaxon_eckrote5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jaxon Eckrote </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_jaxon_eckrote5.jpg</photo2><caption2>Jaxon Eckrote </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By James O&#8217;Malley</p><p>jomalley@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach James O&#8217;Malley at 570-991-6390 or on Twitter @TL_omalley.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Jury convicts Nanticoke man in death of infant son