Plea deal reached in East Huntingdon baby's 2019 drowning death
Aug. 31—A Fayette County man will serve up to 40 years in prison for the death of an 11-month-old girl who drowned in an East Huntingdon home while in his care, prosecutors said.
Derrick A. Bass, 31, formerly of Uniontown, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a lesser count of third-degree murder of Niomie Miller. Police said the baby's body was discovered July 13, 2019, by her mother under a blanket in a playpen when she returned home from work at the Laurel Hill Apartments near Scottdale.
Sarah Miller had been dating Bass for just a few days when she left her daughter at home to be cared for by Bass, authorities said.
Bass was arrested several days later near Cleveland and initially denied any involvement in the baby's death, claiming he left the child with a neighbor. According to court records, he eventually told police the baby was unresponsive while in his care and that he ran water on her face and back in an attempt to revive her, then left the home with his two children, two televisions and 27 DVDs.
"It was a tough decision to make," defense attorney Jack Manderino said of Bass' decision to plead guilty. "I don't think he intended for the child to die. He's actually a really likeable person."
Manderino said Bass accepted the plea deal to avoid a potential life prison sentence had he been convicted of first-degree murder.
In addition to the murder count, Bass pleaded guilty to charges of abuse of a corpse, theft and receiving stolen property.
The deal, approved by Westmoreland County Judge Scott Mears, calls for Bass to serve 20 to 40 years in prison, the maximum allowed for third-degree murder. A sentencing hearing will be held in about two months.
District Attorney John Peck conceded it would be difficult for a jury to convict Bass of first-degree murder.
"He admitted to being the person who caused this child's death. He did not say exactly what he did," Peck said, noting Bass never told police how the child drowned. "It would have been problematic to prove he had an intent to kill the child."
Bass offered no explanations for his actions. He only spoke briefly to tell the judge he pleaded guilty because it was in his best interest to do so.
In addition to the murder case, Bass is facing charges in five other criminal cases, including one in which police claim he hurt his 14-month-old son in 2018.
In that case, filed last year, Bass was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. Monessen police said the boy suffered injuries to his head and neck consistent with physical abuse after he was in father's care for more than eight hours.
Manderino told the judge Bass likely was to plead guilty to the charges with the understanding that he will not receive additional prison time.
Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Rich at 724-830-6293, rcholodofsky@triblive.com or via Twitter .
