An Ohio man accused in the slaying of a Cross Lanes teenager is expected to plead guilty next week.
Ernest Roach, 36, of Racine, Ohio, is charged with murder in the death of Ericka Brown, 16, whose body was found wrapped in plastic last year on the banks of the Ohio River at Portland, in Meigs County, Ohio.
A trial had been set for Sept. 21, Meigs County Prosecuting Attorney Colleen Williams said. However, the trial "is not anticipated to go forward," Williams said Tuesday.
Instead, Roach has agreed to a deal with prosecutors, Williams said. She would not say what charges Roach is expected to plead guilty to. A hearing is set for Sept. 17 in the Meigs County Court of Common Pleas.
In addition to the murder charge, Roach also faces two counts of compelling prostitution, two counts of tampering with evidence and gross abuse of a corpse.
"Until [the plea] is finalized, I don't want to indicate what it is, in case it falls through," Williams said.
The murder charge carries a mandatory 15 years to life prison sentence, the prosecutor has previously said.
Roach is alleged to have met Brown, a sophomore at Nitro High School, on the Internet after the girl posted an ad on craigslist.org seeking men because she wanted money, according to police.
Police haven't said how Brown was killed, but Williams has said her death occurred on Aug. 10, 2014, the same day she went missing.
Roach was interviewed by Kanawha County Sheriff's deputies on Aug. 27, 2014, after deputies found his cellphone number on Brown's phone. Roach claimed to have no knowledge of the girl and agreed to come back the next day to take a polygraph. Instead, he fled the area.
Roach was arrested two days later by the Ohio State Police in Washington County, Ohio.
Brown's body, wrapped in plastic, bound by a ratchet strap and attached to a concrete block, was found as he was being questioned.
Kanawha County Sheriff Johnny Rutherford said Roach admitted to the killing when he found out the girl's body had been discovered.
Roach appeared in Kanawha Circuit Court last September and waived extradition to Ohio, where he was indicted on the charges.
Federal officials in West Virginia dropped charges against Roach for allegedly crossing state lines to engage in illicit sexual contact with Brown. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said at the time that his office wanted to drop the charge so the murder case could move forward faster. The charge was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it can be refiled.
In addition to law enforcement officials from Ohio, Kanawha deputies, Sgt. Brian Humphreys and detectives Don Scurlock and Anna Pile, have been subpoenaed by the Meigs County prosecutor to testify against Roach at trial, according to online court documents.
Herman Carson, director of the Ohio Public Defender's Office, who represents Roach, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
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