BENTON COUNTY, Arkansas — According to a Benton County prosecutor, Vincent Heyns has pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a minor after the co-sleeping death of his baby.
The Rogers couple was arrested after their baby died on Halloween night last year.
Vincent Heyns was sentenced to 10 years on the manslaughter charge and a six-year suspended sentence on the endangerment charge, both to be served concurrently.
According to court documents, Vincent and Emily Heyns fell asleep while cosleeping with the baby after allegedly smoking marijuana. The child was found unresponsive on Nov. 1.
On Monday, March 28, Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green originally denied a plea agreement for Vincent Heyns, the father charged in the death of his and his wife's two-month-old baby on Oct. 31, 2022.
Judge Green didn't accept a plea deal arranged between prosecutors and Vincent's lawyers, setting a court date for July 11 instead.
However, Judge Green did allow Emily's guilty plea of child endangerment while dropping the manslaughter charge.
Emily was sentenced to six years of supervised probation and drug and alcohol evaluation by Ozark Guidance.
In December 2022, the couple pleaded not guilty to the charges of manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a minor. Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith said after trick-or-treating with their two-month-old son Waylon, the couple smoked weed and stayed up all night watching movies.
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