The teen who authorities said was the “inside man” during a 2021 burglary that resulted in the killing of another teen received a sentence of 76 to 180 months in prison as part of a plea deal Monday.
Martavious Kendre Stout, 19, pleaded guilty to three charges and was sentenced by President Judge John Spataro in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas three weeks after he rejected a plea deal in a similar hearing before Spataro.
Stout on Monday pleaded guilty to first-degree felony charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit burglary and a third-degree felony charge of flight to avoid apprehension. The crimes were committed in connection with the killing of Nathaniel Harris, 19, who died from multiple gunshot wounds during an early-morning armed robbery and burglary at his 376½ Walnut St. apartment on July 3, 2021.
During brief remarks before Spataro issued the sentence, Stout apologized to Harris’ family while acknowledging that no family members were present in court to hear the apology.
“I am truly sorry for what happened,” said Stout, who was dressed in lime green prison-issue clothing and orange slip-on shoes, his hands and feet shackled. “I’m going to do my time and that’s it.”
The sentence was the result of a plea agreement reached by the Crawford County District Attorney’s Office and Dustin Cole, Stout’s defense attorney. The Meadville Tribune was the only media to attend the 70-minute hearing, which included a recess of about 15 minutes. In addition to one reporter, the hearing was attended by one other person, a friend or family member who offered support for Stout.
As part of the deal, five additional charges filed by Meadville Police Department against Stout were not prosecuted: second-degree murder, third-degree felony counts of conspiracy to commit criminal trespass and hindering apprehension, and misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit simple assault and conspiracy to commit theft.
Stout, one of five people charged in connection with the events resulting in the murder of Harris, was 16 at the time the crimes were committed and spent more than seven months fleeing prosecution before surrendering to authorities in May 2022. He has remained in Crawford County jail, Saegertown, since and was credited for 685 days served toward his sentence.
He was also fined $500 for each count he pleaded guilty to, assessed court costs and sentenced to one year of reentry supervision following his term in prison. The charges Stout pleaded guilty to carried a combined maximum penalty of 47 years in prison and $65,000 in fines, according to Spataro.
Spataro stressed the seriousness of Stout’s crimes even in light of his limited role in a larger conspiracy.
“The crux of a conspiracy is when two or more people agree to commit a crime and then one of them makes an overt act toward the commission of that crime — even if the crime is never committed,” the judge said, describing a hypothetical example in which 10 people agree to commit a crime but just one of the 10 takes some step in furtherance of the offense.
“Boom,” Spataro said, extending both arms, “everyone — all nine others, even if they didn’t do it — are still guilty.”
The killing of Harris took place after Stout and three of his Meadville Area Senior High classmates — Kavan M. Boitnott, 19; Jayden I. Speed, 20; and Qwamae D. Sherene, 20 — spent what Sherene in an earlier hearing described as an evening of shooting dice, “smokin’” and “chillin’.” Over the course of the night, according to Sherene’s earlier testimony, Speed’s desire to “hit a lick,” or rob someone, because “he needed some money,” evolved in a plan to target Harris, who Stout told the others would have cash or drugs.
As part of the plan, Stout and his girlfriend would go to Harris’ apartment before the others so that Stout could provide easy entry, according to Sherene’s testimony at Stout’s preliminary hearing.
Stout was “undoubtedly part of the agreement,” defense attorney Cole acknowledged Monday.
“He’s never denied this,” Cole told the court before noting that the agreement called for Stout to “make sure the door was unlocked and send a text message to let them know that.”
“Neither of those things occurred,” Cole said. “Those things happened anyway.”
Had the case gone to trial, Cole continued, “I believe he (Stout) would have said he changed his mind.” Cole acknowledged the contention that Stout changed his mind might not have made for a successful defense at trial.
In issuing the sentence, Spataro noted that Stout’s culpability was lessened “to some extent” by the role he played.
“Oddly,” Spataro said, “Mr. Stout was in the residence when the others actually broke in. … Mr Stout himself did not actually break into the residence.”
Crawford County District Attorney Paula DiGiacomo declined to comment on the outcome of the hearing, citing the one remaining case related to Harris’ death. During the hearing, she told the court that Harris’ mother and others involved in the case “are in agreement” with the negotiated sentence. A “big part of this agreement,” she added, was Stout’s eventual willingness to give a statement to the police.
Boitnott, Speed and Timothy Bolden, 27, have already pleaded guilty and are serving state prison sentences. Boitnott, Speed and Sherene encountered Bolden on their way to Harris’ apartment, and Bolden joined in the planned burglary.
Sherene is scheduled to be tried on homicide and related charges for his alleged role in Harris’ death during the Crawford County criminal court’s May term.
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