UPDATE (May 4, 2023): Derrick Mann pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. The murder charge was dismissed as part of a plea deal. He was sentenced to 15 years, with 10 years executed in the Indiana Department of Correction and 5 years suspended. He’ll spend 4 years on probation. Mann was given credit for time served.
INDIANAPOLIS – An Indianapolis man who told police his wife killed herself has agreed to a plea deal that would allow him to avoid a murder conviction in the case.
Derrick Mann changed his plea Tuesday, a day after his jury trial began. According to court records, the agreement would see Mann pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter, with the murder charge dismissed.
Indianapolis Metropolitan police arrested Mann in connection with the January 2020 death of Sinthia Costa. He called 911 and claimed Costa had died by suicide by shooting herself in the head during an argument at their home on Euclid Avenue.
Investigators didn’t think Mann’s story added up. An autopsy found Costa had been shot in the back of the head, leading police to arrest Mann.
Investigators said Costa lived in Maryland and had returned to Indianapolis just 10 days before the shooting in hopes of repairing the couple’s relationship.
According to court documents, she had told her family that “everyone deserved a second chance.”
Mann’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 24.
