A 16-year-old boy on Wednesday confessed to killing 12-year-old Autumn Pasquale in Clayton, N.J., last fall. Credit: Metro file photo
One of two teenage brothers accused of killing 12-year-old Autumn Pasquale in their Clayton, Gloucester County, home last fall has pleaded guilty.
Justin Robinson, 16, on Wednesday admitted as part of a plea agreement that he lured Pasquale to his home and strangled her, according to authorities.
The plea agreement resulted in Robinson’s case being waived to adult court. He pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter, according to the prosecutor’s office for Camden County, which is handling the case.
Robinson took sole responsibility for Pasquale’s death during Wednesday’s hearing, Camden County Prosecutor Warren Faulk noted. His older brother, Dante, who was 17 at the time of Pasquale was killed, also faces a murder charge.
Pasquale went missing while riding her bike on Oct. 20. Her body was found stuffed into a trash container only a few blocks from her home two days later.
Under the plea agreement, Justin Robinson faces a 17-year prison sentence with no chance of parole for more than 14 years. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 12.
If the case had remained in juvenile court, the maximum sentence for Robinson would have been 20 years, according to Faulk, but he also would have had a chance of parole in less than seven years.
