Press Release
The Office of State Attorney Glenn Hess announces that on March 6, 2017, Circuit Judge Michael Overstreet sentenced Brian Michael Proctor to the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child as charged, without the benefit of a plea agreement. The charges occurred in 2007 when Proctor smothered his girlfriend’s 13 month old child. After staying silent about his crime for nine years, Proctor confessed to the child’s mother in June of 2016. The mother convinced Proctor to report the crime to the Panama City Police Department. When questioned by Detective Chris Nichol, Proctor admitted to smothering the child to “get him to stop crying”. Proctor claimed he never meant to kill the child and claimed the child was in distress but still alive when he finally removed his hand. The investigation revealed that Proctor’s guilt and shame finally compelled him to confess to the child’s mother. The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Bob Sombathy.
Please contact Chief Assistant Attorney Larry Basford at 850-819-6985 with any questions.