An Evergreen mother has agreed to take responsibility for the murder of her 2-year-old son on Feb. 18, 2015.

In a plea agreement filed in Flathead District Court on Friday, Takara Juntunen, 22, agreed to plead guilty to felony negligent homicide for the death of Forrest Groshelle.

“On or between Dec. 1, 2014, through February 17, 2015, I had placed my child in the care of Brandon Newberry and should have known he was causing injury to my child,” Juntunen admitted in the plea agreement. “Mr. Newberry was using methamphetamine on a daily basis and I failed to remove my child from the situation and seek medical attention for my child.”

The agreement calls for a charge of felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs against Juntunen to be dropped.

The toddler died from blunt-force trauma equivalent to a gunshot, according to testimony at Brandon Lee Walter Newberry’s sentencing for mitigated deliberate homicide.

In charging Juntunen, prosecutor Andrew Clegg claimed that she contributed to Forrest’s death “by placing the child in the physical care of Brandon Newberry, who she knew, or should have known, was causing injury to the child, knowing Newberry was using methamphetamine on a daily basis and failing to remove the child from the situation and failing to seek medical care for the child.”

Judge Heidi Ulbricht will hear Juntunen’s change of plea on Oct. 3 at 9 a.m. As part of the agreement, Clegg and Juntunen’s defense attorney Steven Scott will recommend that Juntunen be placed with the Montana Department of Corrections for 20 years, with 15 years suspended.

It will be recommended that Juntunen undergo substance abuse treatment.

The plea agreement is not binding. Ulbricht could sentence Juntunen up to 20 years in Montana State Prison and have her pay up to a $50,000 fine.

The day Forrest died, Newberry, who was Juntunen’s boyfriend, called 911 to report the child was unresponsive.

According to court documents, there were apparent injuries to Forrest’s face, neck, arms, legs, back and buttocks. Newberry could be heard in 911 tapes yelling “It’s my fault.”

Newberry, who was 21 when he killed Forrest, entered an Alford plea to mitigated deliberate homicide and was sentenced April 19 to 40 years in the Montana State Prison. At his sentencing, friends and family of the child claimed that the abuse had been ongoing and was not a one-time incident.

Juntunen was interviewed the day the child died, after first responders noticed drug paraphernalia at the crime scene. She told investigators that the child had been sick for several days with a fever and had been vomiting. She allegedly said she knew the child was in pain, but Forrest said he was “feeling fine.”

When deputies returned later to investigate the crime scene, the paraphernalia first responders had encountered was gone and the residence apparently had been cleaned.

The next day, Juntunen told authorities her son had not consumed anything other than water in the days leading up to his death. Forrest was allegedly “turning purple” and “throwing up brown stuff” and had pain in his abdomen, prosecutors claim.

The child allegedly had a high fever and hands and feet that were cold to the touch. She told investigators that she did not need to take the child to the hospital and that she did not believe the child’s injuries were serious.

 She allegedly told investigators she did not see any bruises or injuries.

A day after Forrest died, Juntunen’s father allegedly turned in his daughter’s backpack, which contained drug paraphernalia and residue.

Juntunen eventually confessed to authorities that she had been using meth daily in the days leading up to the child’s death.

Reporter Megan Strickland can be reached at 758-4459 or mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.