'Master manipulator', 20, is jailed for seven years for buying rifle for 17-year-old Bumble date and watching him shoot himself dead

An Ohio man who helped a teenage boy commit suicide by buying him a gun and ammunition, was sentenced to up to seven years in state prison Thursday. 

Duncan R. McElroy, 20, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, improperly furnishing firearms to a minor and assisted suicide in May over the death of Ace Stenger, 17, who was found dead in Brecksville, just outside Cleveland, on July 12, 2019.

McElroy, then 18, and Stenger, had met on the dating app Bumble on June 28, 2019, and met in person one day later. They only knew each other for about two weeks before Stenger took his own life.

During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors painted a picture of McElroy as a 'master manipulator' who had bought Stenger the weapon with the intent of watching someone die. 

But lawyers for the defense argued McElroy was plagued by his own mental health problems, including depression and past suicide attempts. 

When it came time for McElroy (pictured at sentence hearing in Cuyahoga County on Thursday) to address the court, he mentioned that he understood his actions and felt remorse 

On July 12, 2019, Duncan R. McElroy, 19 was charged with the death of Ace Stenger, 17 who was found dead in Brecksville, just outside Cleveland, on July 12

On Thursday, the 20-year-old was sentenced to between five and seven years in a state prison.

The court heard how, in the lead up to his suicide, McElroy drove Stenger to three different stores in the area before locating one that sold him a 22-caliber rifle and ammunition. 

Afterward, McElroy drove Stenger to a location in the Brecksville Reservation where Stenger used the rifle to fatally shoot himself in the head. 

McElroy then called 911 to report Stenger's death.   

First responders found McElroy beside his teenage friend's body when they arrived.

McElroy had initially told police that Stenger had stolen the rifle, which he had bought a day earlier, from his car.  

According to reports, McElroy (pictured at sentence hearing in Cuyahoga County on Thursday) drove Stenger to three different stores in the area before locating one that sold him a 22-caliber rifle and ammunition 

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy McDonnell sentenced McElroy, to five to seven and one-half years in prison after McElroy pleaded guilty in May to involuntary manslaughter and assisted suicide

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Nancy McDonnell sentenced McElroy, to five to seven and one-half years in prison after McElroy pleaded guilty in May to involuntary manslaughter and assisted suicide. 

Assistant Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Saleh Awadallah claims that McElroy was a 'master manipulator' who deliberately preyed on Stenger's history of battling depression during Thursday's proceedings in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. 

Awadallah told presiding Judge Nancy McDonnell that McElroy 'was obsessed' with death and used Stenger's history to convince him to shoot himself. 

'He wanted to see somebody die,' Awadallah said, according to The Plain Dealer. 'He picked this person, manipulated this person all the way through the end, which was the death.'

After purchasing the firearm, McElroy then drove Stenger to a location in the Brecksville Reservation where Stenger used the rifle to fatally shoot himself in the head

McElroy later called 911 to report Stenger's death. When first responders arrived on scene, they found McElroy beside his teenage friend's body

Awadallah also said McElroy 'greased the situation towards suicide, towards the demise of Ace, including getting them off the track to college and on the track to death,' according to Local Fox affiliate WJW-TV. 

In an attempt to have Judge McDonnell sentence McElroy to an inpatient facility instead of a prison, McElroy's attorney, Terry Gilbert, called McElroy's lifelong pediatrician and childhood psychologist to document McElroy's own history of depression and suicide attempts. 

Gilbert argues that placing McElroy in prison could cause him to once again self-harm, saying he didn't want to 'see another young person die over this.' 

However, McDonnell rejected Gilbert's suggestion, reasoning that he was an integral part of the events surrounding Stenger's death, the Plain Dealer reports. 

'If you didn't buy that gun for... him, it wouldn't have happened,' McDonnell said. 'Period. End of story.'

When it came time for McElroy to address the court, he mentioned that he understood his actions and felt remorse.

'I wish that I had understood what I was doing before all of this, and the effects that it would have on everyone, especially the family. I'm sorry,' He said, according to the newspaper. 'I can only hope that there's something to look forward to.'

Since his arrest, McElroy had been housed at an inpatient facility in Geauga County, but will serve his sentence in a state prison.

If you or anyone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.