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Misericordia students plan scholarship fund

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The Menzingers headline 5th NEPA Holiday Show Dec. 19 at Scranton Cultural Center; Tigers Jaw, Petal, Captain We’re Sinking, Three Man Cannon and The Sw!ms also performing

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; He said he wished it was him.</p><p>In a statement Friday prior to his sentencing before Luzerne County Judge David W. Lupas, Corey Eckrote, 50, apologized to his family and to his deceased 2&#189;-month-old son, Jaxon, saying he would rather it be him who died.</p><p>&#8220;Jaxon did not deserve this,&#8221; Eckrote said.</p><p>With more than a dozen of Eckrote&#8217;s family members looking on and choking back tears, Lupas sentenced Eckrote, of Nanticoke, to two to six years behind bars on one felony count each of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment for his role in the infant&#8217;s 2014 suffocation death.</p><p>&#8220;Too many people put their needs and their wishes and desires to go out and a have a good time before the needs of their infant,&#8221; Lupas said.</p><p>&#8220;There are no winners here,&#8221; Lupas continued. &#8220;Only losers.&#8221;</p><p>Jaxon died Feb. 14, 2014, after being trapped overnight in a recliner, hours after Eckrote passed the infant off to the baby&#8217;s mother, Tracy Ann Gonda, because he needed sleep. Prosecutors allege Eckrote hours earlier provided Gonda, an admitted addict, with two 24 oz. cans of malt liquor before going out to the bar.</p><p>Gonda, 42, was sentenced last month to 15 months to five years behind bars after she pleaded guilty to a felony count of child endangerment and a misdemeanor count of corruption of minors. Gonda, who had fallen asleep that night with Jaxon in her arms, also testified against Eckrote.</p><p>Prosecutors had argued Eckrote&#8217;s decision to defy a court order that named him as Jaxon&#8217;s sole caretaker and leave the infant that night in the hands of Gonda, of Nanticoke, made him culpable for the baby&#8217;s death.</p><p>Defense attorney Michael Butera on Friday acknowledged Jaxon&#8217;s death was an &#8220;admitted tragedy,&#8221; but argued &#8220;no one suffered more than Corey.&#8221;</p><p>Assistant District Attorney Jenny Roberts disagreed.</p><p>&#8220;I would say Jaxon suffered more than Corey,&#8221; Roberts said.</p><p>Eight different letters were written in support of Eckrote, including two petitions signed on his behalf with over 119 signatures, she said.</p><p>All those supporters, Roberts said, and Eckrote failed to ask any one of them for help. Instead, Roberts said Eckrote &#8220;let an addict watch that infant.&#8221;</p><p>Lupas said Eckrote&#8217;s decision was more than just a lapse in judgment.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not here because he made a mistake,&#8221; Lupas said. &#8220;We&#8217;re here because he committed a crime.&#8221;</p><p>It took a Luzerne County jury less than 30 minutes on Nov. 4 to convict Eckrote of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment after less than two days of testimony.</p><p>Eckrote, who was given credit for 45 days served in the sentence, was remanded to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Corey Eckrote, 50, was sentenced in Luzerne County Court Friday to two to six years behind bars on involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment charges. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TTL121915eckrote.jpg</photo0><caption0>Corey Eckrote, 50, was sentenced in Luzerne County Court Friday to two to six years behind bars on involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment charges. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Eckrote: &#8216;I wish it was me&#8217;</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Updated: Corey Eckrote sentenced to two to six years in prison for role in infant son’s suffocation death