Tate pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter

YOUNGSTOWN — As his capital murder trial was about to begin, Terrance Tate pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and child endangering and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the death of a 1-year-old boy 2 1/2 years ago.

Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court imposed the sentence on Tate this morning.

Tate, 23, of Hilton Avenue, was charged in the beating death of his girlfriend’s son, Javonte Covington, on April 27, 2006 — his first birthday.

The judge imposed maximum consecutive sentences of 10 years for involuntary manslaughter and five years for child endangering, for a total of 15 years; and Tate will get credit for the 928 days he has already been jailed.

Tate was originally charged with aggravated murder with a death penalty specification.

In the plea agreement, the prosecution agreed to reduce the aggravated murder charge to involuntary manslaughter and to drop the death penalty specification, but it added the child endangering charge as a bill of information.

Martin P. Desmond, assistant county prosecutor, said he made the agreement because medical experts would have testified that the baby would have lived if he had been taken to the hospital sooner.

After Tate entered his guilty plea, the judge thanked and dismissed 95 potential jurors, who had assembled for an orientation for Tate’s trial, for which jury selection would have begun Monday.

Tate’s sentence is non-appealable because it was agreed to by the prosecution and defense and adopted by the judge.