The boyfriend of the Oxford teenager who was killed in May 2019 has accepted a plea deal, admitting to causing her death. Cody Coleman appeared in Chenango County Court on December 20th to accept that plea bargain, two and a half years after Amelia Wakefield was found dead in Coleman's home in Smithville Flats. 

Wakefield was just 16 years old at the time of her death. A junior at Oxford High School, her friends say she was excited about prom and had just picked out her dress. The teen was known for her bubbly personality and was a member of the school's basketball team. 

 

Police say Coleman, who was 18 years old at the time of the murder, shot Wakefield at close range with a 16 gauge shotgun. Two weeks later, he was charged with her murder. 

The case was scheduled to go to trial in May of 2020, but was delayed due to the pandemic. Chenango County District Attorney Michael Ferrarese says his office came up with a plea deal after speaking extensively with Wakefield's family. With their permission, he says the DA's office lowered the charge from murder to manslaughter. Coleman faces 20 years in state prison as opposed to 25 to life, which would be the usual sentence for a murder charge. Coleman is scheduled to be sentenced on February 28th in Chenango County Court. 

In the wake of her murder, Wakefield's family founded a nonprofit called "Amelia's Voice," which is dedicated to helping raise awareness of domestic violence. A branch of that organization, "Amelia's House," offers a safe house for victims of domestic abuse, helping others in memory of Wakefield.