BRUNSWICK, Ga. -- A lawyer for one of four suspects charged in connection with a 6-year-old Georgia boy's slaying announced on Thursday he no longer wants the judge to consider a plea deal.
In March of 2007, searchers scoured the woods of South Georgia for any sign of Christopher Barrios. Six days after the search began, Christopher's body was found in a black trash bag among some trees and brush just 15 feet from a roadside behind the Glynn County Airport.
Donald Dale is accused of helping the suspected killers, George David Edenfield and Peggy and David Edenfield, hide the boy's body.
Dale is not charged with murder.
Dale's defense attorney, John Wetzler, said investigators made an inappropriate statement about Dale during the interrogation process and said that is the reason he's backing off the plea deal for his client.
He said the comment was made after an interrogation and was caught on tape when one investigator said Dale should be locked up so he would not "breed."
"There is no plea. There's no compromise whatsoever. Donald Dale must go to trial," Wetzler said. "Bring it on."
He said police don't have any evidence that Dale concealed Barrios' death or tampered with evidence.
In 2007, police said Dale told them he helped bury the boy. However, Wetzler said the police coerced Dale into making false statements.
Wetzler also said police made a statement that showed they wanted Dale locked up.
"The police made statements and gave them to me that they thought we need to lock Donald up so he can't breed," Wetzler said.
However, Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said the attorney's statement about the matter is a misrepresentation. When speaking with another media outlet on Wednesday, the police chief called Wetzler a liar.
"It's certainly not something that I think he is, and I understand that I did make that statement that he was a liar, and that's not something that was really appropriate for me to say. If I did, I owe him an apology for that because I don’t think he's a liar. I think he was expressing what he thought was represented here," Doering told Channel 4 on Thursday.
Doering said he has a problem with the fact that in a statement Wetzler wrote to the court, the attorney used the word "they" to refer to investigators making the statement, but the chief said it was only one investigator who said the words.
Doering said he has talked to the investigator who said Dale should be jail so he could not breed.
Dale is expected in court on Monday, when Wetzler plans to withdraw the plea deal.
Previous Stories: - March 14, 2008: Mother Sues State, Trailer Park Over Son's Death
- August 15, 2007: Judge Rules On Defense Motions In Boy's Murder Case
- July 30, 2007: Boy's Accused Killer In Court For Hearing
- April 13, 2007: Molester, His Parents Charged In Christopher's 'Horrific' Slaying
- March 21, 2007: As Slain Boy's Viewing Begins, 3 Charged With Murder
- March 19, 2007: Child Molester Got Probation Days Before Slain Boy Vanished
- March 17, 2007: Community Copes After Boy's Search Ends In Tragedy
- March 16, 2007: Missing Boy Found Dead; 4 May Face Murder Charges
- March 15, 2007: Body Of Missing Brunswick Boy Found
- March 15, 2007: New Search, More Evidence, But No Sign Of Missing Boy
- March 15, 2007: Police Search Pond, Follow New Tips In Missing Boy Case
- March 14, 2007: 2nd Search Warrant Executed At Sex Offender's Home
- March 14, 2007: Sex Offender, Offender's Mother Arrested In Boy's Disappearance
- March 13, 2007: Police Search Sex Offender's Trailer In Hunt For Missing 6-Year-Old
- March 12, 2007: After 4 Days, Police Believe Georgia Boy Was Abducted
- March 11, 2007: $27,000 Reward Offered For Missing Georgia Boy
- March 10, 2007: Searchers, Family Determined To Find Missing 6-Year-Old
- March 9, 2007: After 24 Hours, No Sign Of Missing Georgia Boy
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