Michael Leach, a retired Captain with the Rochester Police Dep-art-ment, pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide on Wednesday, June 4, having been charged by authorities in the shooting death of his son in 2012, an incident that occurred at Clark’s Beach Motel in Old Forge.
The plea was heard in Herkimer County Court by Judge John Crandall.
Leach had been facing a trial by prosecutors, charging him with second degree murder.
Had he been convicted, Leach could have been sentenced to a prison term of 25 years to life.
As it stands, his guilty plea to the lesser charge means he will likely receive 6 months in jail with five years probation.
Formal sentencing has been scheduled for Monday, August 11th.
Leach claimed he had been startled, yet not fully awakened, by his son Matthew, 37, who was returning to the motel room on the night of the incident.
Leach, 61, told the court about years of recurring dreams, where intruders invaded his home, that he claimed made him fearful of his safety.
He said he had such an episode on the night of the shooting.
He told law enforcement officials, who were investigating the shooting, that he had not known his son to be the shadowy figure that was entering the darkened motel room. He believed it to be an intruder.
Previous nightmares had him feeling endangered to the point that he barricaded doors and slept with a loaded handgun at his side, Leach said.
Such a firearm was used in the shooting of his son.
Herkimer County District Attorney Jeff Carpenter, who was to prosecute the case, reportedly received a final psychiatric and medical report on Monday, attesting to Leach’s mental state.
The report concluded that Leach suffered from post-traumatic stress and medical conditions relating to sleep disorders.
These conditions contributed to Leach’s inability to perceive the risk he was creating by firing his weapon that night in the motel room, according to the report.