MONTROSE, Pa. — UPDATE:
Quentin Millard of Great Bend and his girlfriend, Andrea Martel, each received 20 to 40 years in jail.
Original story:
A murder trial set to begin Monday in Susquehanna County ended before it ever began.
It would have been the first day of trial for murder suspect Quentin Millard.
Instead, the 24-year-old man from Great Bend decided to plead guilty to third-degree murder. He was accused of killing and trying to dispose of the body of John Amrein, 52, in September 2018.
"Mr. Millard was facing a life sentence. It was a difficult case where I feel that it could have gone either way," said his attorney Jason Beardsley.
Beardsley says he wanted to go to trial, but Millard decided it was too risky.
Newswatch 16 learned what the defense had planned.
"Although he accepted criminal responsibility for this matter, for his involvement in the death of John Amrein, Andrea Martel was the 20-year-old femme fatale who caused both men to be together, knowing that it was going to end badly," said Beardsley.
Andrea Martel has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit third-degree murder for her role in Amrein's death.
Court papers show that a fight started after Martel told Amrein he could be the father of her unborn child. It ended with Amrein dead.
Millard and Martel dumped the body that was later found near Hallstead.
Millard's attorney says none of that would have happened if it weren't for Martel, who he says manipulated the men.
"I would characterize Andrea Martel as evil," Beardsley said.
Beardsley says Martel was never pregnant. He was planning to call a witness to the stand who would have testified that Martel was bragging in jail about having two men fight over her.
Susquehanna County District Attorney Marion O'Malley says the prosecution believed both Millard and Martel were responsible for Amrein's death.
"It would have been, I suppose, for the jury to determine, how deeply involved Mr. Millard was. We were convinced that he would have been found guilty, and we were confident in that," O'Malley said.
Millard and Martel will be sentenced together in March.