A Rutland County woman arrested on a murder charge more than four years ago has reached a plea deal on a reduced charge that calls for her to serve at least 10 years in prison.
Courtney Samplatsky, 38, had been charged in 2022 with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Sincere Johnson, 46, of New York City, inside a Rutland apartment. Samplatsky was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly pointing a firearm at another man on the same day.
A plea agreement was filed this week in Rutland Superior criminal court calling for Samplatsky to plead guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter as well as the aggravated assault charge. The agreement calls for Samplatsky to receive a sentence of 15 to 25 years in prison, all suspended on probation except for 10 years to serve.
A hearing for Samplatsky to change her plea and for sentencing has been set for July 31.
Rutland County State’s Attorney Ian Sullivan, the prosecutor, declined Thursday to comment on the reasons for reducing the murder charge.
“I plan on addressing that at the change of plea and sentencing,” Sullivan said.
Attorney Marshall Pahl, representing Samplatsky, could not immediately be reached Thursday for comment.
The investigation into the fatal shooting began after Rutland City police reported finding a man, later identified as Johnson, dead inside an apartment building on Baxter Street in June 2022, according to court records.
Witnesses had reported to police that Samplatsky and a man had plans to “rob a drug dealer” and that Samplatsky “shot the drug dealer in the face” during a fight, according to charging documents in the case.
Samplatsky was taken into custody along with her husband at the time, Michael O’Brien, in New Hampshire a couple of days after the shooting. Authorities had said at that time the pair allegedly broke into a post office there while on the run following the fatal shooting in Rutland.
Samplatsky, in speaking to police, denied shooting and killing Johnson but did make racist comments about him, according to court records. A hate crime enhancement had been filed in the case but was not included as part of the plea deal.
Samplatsky, who had been living in Fair Haven, has been in custody since her arrest. She is being held at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility in South Burlington.
O’Brien had initially been charged with aiding in the commission of second-degree murder. Following litigation and a ruling that called into question the strength of the evidence against him, the case against O’Brien has since been dropped, according to Sullivan.
