Murder Charges Dropped Against Leland Pankey, Father Of Dead Boy Found In Denver Storage Unit

DENVER (CBS4)- The father of a 7-year-old boy whose body was found in a Denver storage unit has pleaded guilty under a deal with prosecutors. Forty-year-old Leland Pankey pleaded guilty Thursday to child abuse resulting in death and tampering with a deceased body in the death of Caden McWilliams.

But prosecutors dropped a murder charge against him. His wife also previously pleaded guilty in the boy's death.

Denver District Attorney Beth McCann says prosecutors had to take into account the risk of going to trial on a murder charge without being able to say exactly how the boy died.

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