A 27-year-old Jamestown man pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the death of his 16-month-old son after prosecutors said the child suffered fatal injuries inside the family’s home in April 2024.
The plea by Matthew Nuttall ended a case that was headed toward trial and set up a sentencing hearing that authorities say will determine how long he will spend in state prison. District Attorney Jason Schmidt said the child, Isaac Benton, died after Nuttall threw him into a portable crib during a moment of frustration. Police and prosecutors said the injuries were catastrophic. Nuttall is scheduled to be sentenced April 20, and the judge will weigh the facts of the case, the plea agreement terms and statements from the victim’s family.
Nuttall entered the plea in Chautauqua County Court during a pretrial conference, days before jury selection was expected to begin. Prosecutors said he admitted responsibility for causing Isaac’s death, sparing the family a trial that would have required testimony about the child’s injuries and the events inside the home. Authorities said the plea came after an indictment that included first- and second-degree manslaughter counts tied to the April 2024 death. Schmidt said the case had been prepared for trial and the sudden plea changed the court calendar almost immediately.
Investigators said the case began as a death inquiry in mid-April 2024. Jamestown police said they were notified about a suspicious death at a home in the city and opened an investigation. Police said the child had died two days before they received the notification, and detectives began working to determine whether the death was accidental or criminal. Authorities said the investigation led them to conclude that Isaac’s injuries were caused by his father. Nuttall was arrested and later indicted, prosecutors said, as police and the county coroner’s office continued to document the circumstances and gather medical findings.
Schmidt has described the case as one of the most difficult his office handles. In public comments about the plea, he said the child was slammed onto a Pack ’n Play with such force that the autopsy showed severe damage to the spinal column. Police have described the death as the result of blunt force trauma. The Post-Journal, which has covered the case locally, reported that investigators said Nuttall became frustrated when the toddler would not stop crying and threw him into the portable crib. Authorities have not publicly released a detailed account of what happened in the minutes before the injury, and court records that would include longer medical descriptions were not read in open court during the plea.
Jamestown Police Sgt. Daniel Overend said investigators worked to build the case and bring it to prosecutors, and he called the death a loss that will continue to affect the child’s relatives. Overend said police would push for a sentence that reflects the seriousness of the crime. He also said justice is not served by extremes, but by consequences that match the wrongdoing. Police credited the investigative unit, the district attorney’s office and the coroner’s office for the work that led to the guilty plea and the expected sentencing next month.
Under New York law, first-degree manslaughter is a Class B violent felony that carries a determinate prison sentence. Prosecutors have said the possible prison term ranges from a minimum of five years to a maximum of 25 years, followed by post-release supervision. The sentencing hearing will give the judge a fuller record that can include a presentence report, statements from family members and arguments from both sides about the appropriate term. The court can also address restitution and other conditions that may apply after any prison sentence.
Isaac Benton was 16 months old at the time of his death. An obituary published by a funeral home said he was born in December 2022 and described a toddler who loved the movie “Toy Story,” animals and being outside. The obituary said he enjoyed walks in the park and adored his cousins and grandparents. The family’s public remembrances have become part of the case’s emotional center, and prosecutors have said the child’s age and vulnerability were central factors in the charging decision and the push for a serious prison sentence.
The case has also been discussed in a broader local context because it was one of several child deaths that occurred in Chautauqua County in April 2024. Schmidt has referenced that period when speaking about the need for accountability and public attention to child safety. In interviews and statements, he has said the deaths were deeply disturbing and have left investigators, prosecutors and residents struggling to process what happened. That broader context is not part of the legal elements that must be proved in court, but it has shaped how officials have talked about the stakes in the Nuttall case and similar prosecutions.
The guilty plea does not close every chapter for the family or the justice system. The sentencing hearing can include victim impact statements, which often give relatives a chance to describe the loss and the long-term impact. Defense lawyers can offer mitigating information and argue for a lower term, including any history that might be relevant to sentencing. Prosecutors can argue for the maximum allowable sentence, pointing to the child’s age, the severity of injuries and the circumstances described in the investigation. After sentencing, either side can still file certain motions or appeals, though the scope is often narrower after a guilty plea than after a trial.
Officials have not released extensive information about who was present in the home at the time of the injury, whether other adults or relatives arrived afterward, or what medical response occurred before authorities were notified. Law enforcement has also not discussed whether there were previous child welfare concerns connected to the family. Those details, if part of the record, typically appear in investigative reports and court filings that may not be fully aired in open court unless the case goes to trial. With the plea now entered, the next public accounting is expected to come at sentencing, when prosecutors summarize the factual basis of the plea and the defense may address the court.
For Jamestown, the case has drawn attention because it involved a very young child and unfolded in a community where violent crime cases can quickly become personal for residents and first responders. Police and prosecutors have said the investigation required coordination among detectives, medical investigators and prosecutors to establish what caused the child’s injuries and whether the evidence supported felony charges. The plea ensures the case will end with a conviction, but it leaves the sentence as the major remaining decision, and it leaves many residents focused on the April 20 hearing as the next moment of public closure.
Nuttall is expected to return to court on April 20 for sentencing. Until then, the case remains in the presentence phase, with prosecutors and defense lawyers preparing filings and the court preparing a report that can guide the judge’s decision. The next milestone is the April hearing, when the judge will impose a prison term and the court will formally conclude the criminal case.
Author note: Last updated February 23, 2026.