Racine---A man who'd originally been charged with 1st Degree Intentional Homicide in the 1997 death of a 14 year-old runaway pleaded no contest Tuesday to a charge of 1st Degree Reckless Homicide.
James Eaton, now 39, faces up to 40 years in prison. Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 20th.
The lesser charge was offered during plea negotiations after it became clear from witnesses that the victim, Amber Creek, had a history of playing choking games that are intended to induce a high.
The girl's body was found in the Karcher Wildlife Area in the Town of Burlington. The cause of death was asphyxiation, although there were other signs of assault.
A cold case investigation using new fingerprint technology matched Eaton's fingerprints with those that were lifted from a plastic bag that had been found over the victim's head. Eaton was arrested in 2014.
Both the victim and defendant are from Palatine, Illinois.
Speaking to reporters after Tuesday's plea hearing, Assistant District Attorney Robert Repischak wouldn't rule out the possibility that others were involved in the death. But he also said no additional charges are anticipated at the moment. "I think for today's purposes I'm confident that Mr. Eaton, being the person responsible for her death, took responsibility for his involvement," he said. "As for anyone else I would not want to make any guess or comment on that."
While admitting to having a role in the death, Eaton did not provide a detailed confession of who did what, according to Repischak, adding that he's eager to hear what Eaton will tell the pre-sentence investigator prior to sentencing.
Relatives of the victim were in court for Tuesday's hearing but did not speak. Repischak indicated that his office had consulted with the family before making the plea offer.
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