The last of three defendants charged in connection with the grisly killing of an Appalachian State University student pleaded guilty yesterday to accessory after the fact to first-degree murder.
Matthew Brandon Dalrymple, 23, accepted a plea agreement in Watauga Superior Court and was sentenced to a minimum of 81/3 years and a maximum of 10¾ years in prison. He will be given credit for the more than three years he's been in jail awaiting trial.
Dalrymple had testified against his two co-defendants in the death of Stephen Harrington, a 19-year-old student from Raleigh.
Harrington's body was found in the trunk of a smoldering car on the morning of Nov. 2, 2005, on a side road off N.C. 105 in Foscoe. His head was bound in duct tape, his arms were bound behind him with duct tape and he had been set on fire.
Dalrymple's co-defendant, Neil Sargeant, was sentenced last April to life in prison without parole. Harrington had visited Sargeant's home to sell him cocaine, according to court documents, when Sargeant robbed Harrington. Sargeant wrapped the duct tape around Harrington's head and beat him, according to testimony. The duct tape covered Harrington's mouth and nose, and he died of asphyxiation.
Another man accused in the case, Kyle Quentin Triplett, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder and other offenses as his trial began in September 2007. He set Harrington's body on fire, according to court documents. He was sentenced to at least 40 years in prison.
Harrington's family was present and did not object when those two sentences were handed down but told Judge James Baker Jr. yesterday that Dalrymple's plea bargain did not serve justice.
"The fact that Mr. Dalrymple will be a free man in five to seven years is unacceptable to our family, it's an injustice," said Stephen Harrington's father, Tim Harrington.
Dalrymple had told authorities that he was visiting Sargeant and was horrified at what happened. He said his role in the crime was to follow in a car, then drive Sargeant and Triplett back to Sargeant's home in Boone.
Dalrymple's mother, Cathy Berry, sobbed as she told the judge that her son could have been killed that night, too.
"He told me he was scared and could not move when he saw what was happening to Mr. Harrington," she said.
All three men had faced capital murder charges.
The case shocked the ASU community, but most of the students who knew Harrington have graduated and moved on. Friends of Harrington's from high school have since carried his ashes on a hike of the Appalachian Trail. He had talked about hiking the trail with them.
Scott Casey, Dalrymple's attorney, spoke in court yesterday to Harrington's family, including Harrington's father, mother and sister on the front row. He said he didn't approve of hearing Harrington portrayed as a drug dealer during the three years the case has been going on.
"Your son is not a drug dealer," he said. "He was an Eagle Scout, a daddy's buddy. He was a good boy making a mistake.… He didn't deserve to die."
Judge Baker told Harrington's family that he was sorry for what they have been through and he understood that they didn't approve of the plea.
He addressed Dalrymple just before he sentenced him.
"Don't you ever forget, sir, what brought you here and the sadness your actions have caused," he said. "That is a life sentence you will carry with you."
■ Monte Mitchell can be reached in Wilkesboro at 336-667-5691 or at mmitchell@wsjournal.com.
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