Man gets 10 years for death of quadriplegic girlfriend

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Mary Baker was a 58-year-old quadriplegic in need of around-the-clock care.

Her boyfriend, Timothy Harrison took on the heavy responsibility, but on January 24, 2013, Baker died of an overdose state prosecutors say she could not have given herself.

"The defendant was the only one person living with Ms. Baker at the time, and the only person that could have committed the offense," said state Prosecutor Michelle Doherty.

Mary died of lethal overdose of prescription drugs. Harrison was charged with first degree murder, but three years later, Harrison was pleading guilty.

According to Doherty, Harrison gave Mary a deadly cocktail of drugs over a three day period.

"Doctor Deavers with the Hillsborough County Medical Examiners Office opined and concluded that the amount of drugs to reach the levels of toxicity in Ms. Bakers system would have exceeded over a hundred pills," said Doherty. 

Because Harrison passed on a jury trial and agreed to a plea deal, we may never know if Mary's death was accidental, intentional, or possibly a mercy killing.

But under the plea deal, Harrison's murder charge was reduced to manslaughter, and two other charges were dropped altogether. Now he's off to prison for 10 years.