A Fort Fairfield man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the death of his infant son.
Stanley Hazell, 25, entered the plea last week in Aroostook County Superior Court via Zoom before Justice Stephen Nelson, according to Christopher Taub, Maine’s chief deputy attorney general.
Hazell was arrested in November 2023 in Caribou, following a year-long investigation by Maine State Police into the April 8, 2022 death of 7-month-old Jackson Hazell.
Jackson Hazell’s death was ruled a homicide by the Maine State Medical Examiner.
Stanley Hazell was indicted on one count of manslaughter and initially pleaded not guilty in a February hearing.
During the February Zoom hearing in Aroostook County Superior Court, Nelson said that Hazell was charged on allegations that he recklessly and with criminal mischief caused the death of Jackson Hazell.
There is no confirmed sentencing date yet, but it may be on Dec. 11, according to Taub.
“The recommended sentence is 8 years, all but 4 years suspended and 6 years of probation,” Taub said.
Hazell remains in the Aroostook County Jail in Houlton.
