NEWS

Plea deal possible for defendant in murder case

Bill Engle
bengle@richmond.gannett.com
  • A plea agreement has been filed in the case of the murder of Caleb Woosley of Richmond.
  • David A. Maish has agreed to plead guilty to assisting a criminal, a Class C felony.
  • In the agreement, Maish, 18, would be sentenced to eight years in prison with six years suspended.
  • Upon finishing his prison term, Maish would be placed on probation for two years.

A defendant in the Caleb Woosley murder case has agreed to a plea deal that, if accepted by the judge, would require him to serve two years in prison.

The plea deal, which has been agreed upon by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the attorney for David A. Maish, Mark Cox, was submitted Monday to Wayne County Superior Court I. Judge Charles K. Todd has yet to set a court date for a plea-and-sentencing hearing.

In the agreement, Maish, 18, of Richmond would plead guilty to assisting a criminal (a Class C felony) and be sentenced to eight years in prison with six years suspended.

Upon finishing his prison term, Maish would be placed on probation for two years.

In exchange, Maish agrees to testify against the other three teenagers accused in the brutal beating death of Woosley in May.

Woosley was beaten to death in an alley between North 14th and 15th streets on the city’s near-north side on May 17.

Michael Pruitt, 17; Kore Buchanan, 17; and Deandre Plant, 20, all of Richmond, eventually were arrested and charged with the murder.

In a statement given to police, Maish indicated Plant, Buchanan and Pruitt were the individuals who planned and committed Woosley’s murder.

Pruitt was arrested in July after police were provided a secretly recorded cellphone video in which Pruitt details his involvement in the Woosley killing.

Pruitt, Buchanan and Plant face murder charges along with five counts of aggravated battery (each a Class B felony), five counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated battery (each a Class B felony), five counts of battery (each a Class C felony) and five counts of conspiracy to commit battery (each a Class C felony).

Pruitt also is charged with theft (a Class D felony) for allegedly stealing Woosley’s shoes after the beating.

Maish told police he was at Pruitt’s home when the three teens met before the attack to plan the beating. They invited Maish to come along but he declined.

But he did help the attackers clean up and dispose of their clothes after the incident.

Pruitt, Buchanan and Plant remain in the Wayne County Jail with no bail. Maish also is in the jail with bail of $10,000 for a previous auto theft charge and $35,000 surety for the assisting the criminal charge.

Staff writer Bill Engle: (765) 973-4481 or bengle@pal-item.com. Follow him on Twitter: @billengle_PI