Man pleads guilty in Vass 12-year-old's slaying

Van Roger Smith Jr., 19, pleaded guilty Friday to being an accessory after the fact of first-degree murder in the death of Emily Elizabeth Haddock. He was sentenced to 58 to 79 months in prison.

Haddock was killed on Sept. 21, 2007, when several men broke into her home in Vass. She had stayed home from school with strep throat, and the burglars were surprised to find her inside, prosecutors said.

She was shot several times with a 22-caliber handgun, authorities said. Her grandfather found her body when he stopped by the home to check on her.

Michael Graham Currie, 21, pleaded guilty in August to first-degree murder and breaking and entering in the case and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Sherrod Nicholas Harrison pleaded guilty earlier this year to being an accessory after the fact in the case and was sentenced to 93 to 123 months in prison. Ryan Jermar White pleaded guilty in September to an accessory charge and was sentenced to 40 months in prison.

The fifth defendant, Perry Ross Schiro, has been indicted on an accessory charge and is scheduled for a Nov. 15 court hearing.