Plea agreement reached in 2023 Cranberry Township shooting death
With a pool of more than 80 prospective jurors waiting Wednesday, Feb. 5, attorneys worked out an agreement that led to a former Cranberry Township woman pleading no contest to involuntary manslaughter in the February 2023 shooting death of her boyfriend.
Amanda Hughes, 28, now of Pittsburgh, pleaded no contest in accordance with the agreement, which replaces the homicide charge she originally faced with a misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter in the Feb. 12 death of Anthony D. Smith, who was 30, in their township home. Her sentence will be an unspecified term of probation without electronic monitoring.
Jury selection was scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and the trial was set to start Monday.
Butler County Common Pleas Court Judge Joseph Kubit deferred deciding to accept or reject the agreement until he reviews a presentence investigation report that the probation office will prepare and presentence memorandums from prosecution and defense attorneys. He scheduled sentencing for March 7.
Assistant district attorney Laura Pitchford told Kubit that she offered the agreement after Hughes’ attorney turned over a significant amount of evidence about domestic violence.
She said the agreement balances the value of human life with the domestic violence evidence the defense was going to present, and is the proper resolution of the case.
Defense attorney Kenneth Haber said Hughes signed the agreement.
Involuntary manslaughter carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, but the sentence recommended in the agreement calls for a term of probation not to exceed five years with no electronic monitoring, he said.
After the hearing, Pitchford said the domestic violence evidence will be included in the presentence report.
Haber said there is a significant amount of evidence showing a pattern of abuse over a long time period.
On Feb. 13, 2023, Cranberry Township police charged Hughes with shooting Smith five times in her former home on Brandywine Drive. She told police Smith attacked her and was punching her in the face and head, but she managed to get her gun and shoot him.
She called 911, went to a neighbor’s home and directed police to Smith and the gun.
