Life Sentence For Man Who Murdered Mother

AKRON, Ohio — A man set to go on trial for the murder of his mother today changed his plea and will spend the next 15-years to life in prison.

According to April Wiesner, Director of Communications for Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh, Daniel E. Smelko, 49, of Akron, changed his plea on charges of murder and felonious assault in the death of his mother, 72-year-old Pat Sees.

Smelko admitted to stabbing his mother in the chest with a steak knife in their home on Highview Avenue on January 24, 2012.

According to Wiesner, family members called police for a welfare check when they were unable to contact the victim. Police found Sees dead in a bedroom and Smelko hiding in an upstairs crawl space.

Upon receiving the change in plea, Judge Marvin Shapiro immediately sentenced Smelko to life in prison.

Smelko will be eligible for parole in 2027.