Branden M. Collins of Marshalltown pleaded guilty to a charge of child endangerment leading to the death of a child at a hearing in District Court at the Marshall County Courthouse Friday.

The charge is a special Class B Felony, said Assistant Marshall County Attorney Paul Crawford.

The plea means Collins could be sentenced up to a maximum 50 years in prison.

There is no provision for probation.

Sentencing is 9 a.m., Oct. 9 in District Court.

Collins was initially arrested by Marshalltown police Aug. 21, 2014, and charged with child endangerment, a Class C felony, as well as misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, after paramedics responded to a report of an unresponsive child in the 900 block of South 11th Ave. The girl, Jossilyn Starn, 3, was taken to Central Iowa Healthcare and then transferred by air ambulance to Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines where the youngster died two days later from the head-related injuries she received.

Collins was then charged with first-degree murder, a Class A felony, and child endangerment and was held on $1 million bond at the Marshall County Jail.

At a court appearance following the arrest, the judge read a police report stating Starn said Collins had grabbed the child by the arm and threw the child to the floor.

In March, public defender Scott Hunter asked Judge John J. Haney to rule that a confession then suspect Collins made to a Marshalltown police detective and a Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation special agent about the incident be ruled inadmissible.

The request was part of Hunter’s motion to suppress.

Crawford strongly rebutted, arguing Collins’ confession was voluntary, not coerced and thereby admissible in court.

At the heart of the debate between Hunter and Crawford were statements DCI agent David Overton made to Collins prior to a cigarette break requested by Collins.

It was those statements which Hunter claimed induced Collins to confess.

Overton had been called in by the MPD to assist with the case.

Previously, Siegert had requested Collins come to the MPD to take the polygraph test, in which Collins came voluntarily.

Overton and Siegert testified that later Collins requested a cigarette break.

Overton and Siegert accompanied Collins, who was not handcuffed, outside the building to an alley adjoining the building to the south side.

Agent Overton taped recorded the conversation between the three.

And an exterior camera recorded actions, but not conversations by the three men.

Overton testified that during the cigarette break Collins allegedly confessed to murdering Jossilyn.

Overton and Siegert also testified that Collins fell to “all fours with dry heaves,” after allegedly confessing to the murder.

Haney ruled earlier this summer to suppress Collins’ confession, meaning it could not have been used by Crawford had the case gone to trial.