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The first of four men accused in the robbery and shooting death of a 19-year-old Wells County man last fall pleaded guilty Tuesday in Wells Circuit Court in Bluffton.
Cody Barkley, 18, of Adams County, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. He faces 30 years in prison, according to Wells County Prosecutor Michael Lautzenheiser.
Along with Dustin Jackson, 22, Jonathan Thatcher, 18, and Cody A. Mendez, 17, Barkley was originally charged with murder, felony murder and conspiracy to commit robbery resulting in serious injury.
The four were accused of firing a shotgun at a Chevrolet Cavalier driven by Justin Sprow, who was fatally shot once in the head.
According to police, the four planned to rob Sprow of drugs and money in retaliation for a bad drug deal that occurred a few weeks before the October shooting.
Barkley will be sentenced in late October, after the trial for the accused shooter, Lautzenheiser said.
He is expected to cooperate with investigators in exchange for the plea agreement, Lautzenheiser said.
