An Altoona man who was sentenced to life in prison 17 months ago after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the death of a 16-month-old child now wants to withdraw his plea, stating he was “forced to plead guilty in fear of no other avenue.”

Drue Scott Burd, 25, was sentenced to life without parole by Blair County President Judge Elizabeth Doyle on Aug. 5, 2022, a month prior to his scheduled trial for the death of Angela Elizabeth Jones Beard, the daughter of his then-girlfriend.

The youngster on May 20, 2018, was in Burd’s care in an apartment on the 900 block of 23rd Avenue.

Burd told police he put his hand over the youngster’s mouth and nose as a way of getting her to quiet down and go to sleep.

The child was unconscious when police arrived and died several days later while being treated at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh.

The prosecution initially sought the death penalty in view of Burd’s alleged premeditated actions that resulted in the child’s death.

However, Assistant District Attorney Derek Elensky eventually relented and agreed to the life sentence that the judge entered.

During his plea, Burd indicated to Doyle he desired to plead guilty to first-degree murder and he expressed remorse for the child’s death, noting, “I don’t want to put certain people through a trial … I already hurt a lot of people.”

Burd presently is serving his sentence in the State Correctional Institution, Greene County.

Earlier this year, Burd filed a request with the Blair County Court of Common Pleas asking that his appeal rights be reinstated.

While that petition awaits a hearing, Burd in October filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court in Scranton seeking a federal order that would allow him to withdraw his guilty plea.

In the petition, Burd said he was intimidated and threatened in an effort to get him to enter the guilty plea, and, he charged, he was “abandoned” by his attorneys, Chief Public Defender Russel Montgomery and Assistant Public Defender John Siford.

During his sentencing hearing, he told Doyle, “I don’t think they did the best they could.”

Siford responded by relating to Doyle the numerous pretrial meetings he had with Burd that concerned his pending plea for a life sentence.

Burd’s federal petition repeatedly stated that he told his attorneys he believed he was innocent, but he explained “with the use of intimidation and threatening, counsel’s abandonment of representation, petitioner was forced to plead guilty in fear of no other avenue.”

He charges in the petition that his counsel was ineffective and he states that he pleaded guilty “with no counsel to properly represent him.”

He states his belief that a jury would acquit him of the first-degree murder charge.

Burd wants to withdraw his guilty plea, and he asks that an attorney be appointed to represent him.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Christopher C. Conner in Scranton ordered Burd’s habeas petition be transferred to the District Court in Johnstown.

Conner observed that Burd is housed at SCI Greene, which is in the Western District of Pennsylvania, and that he was convicted in Blair County, which is also in the Western District.

Conner concluded the Scranton court — which is in the Middle District of Pennsylvania — does not have jurisdiction to hear Burd’s petition.

The case has been transferred to the federal court in Johnstown.

The initial review of Burd’s petition will be conducted by the U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Reed Eddy.

The prosecutor in the Burd case could not be reached for comment Thursday.