"Loughner Pleads Guilty in 2011 Tucson Shootings," is the New York Times report by Fernanda Santos.
Jared L. Loughner pleaded guilty on Tuesday to carrying out a shooting rampage here last year that left six people dead and 13 others wounded, including Gabrielle Giffords, then a member of the House of Representatives. For the crimes he committed, he will receive an automatic sentence of life in prison
“I plead guilty,” Mr. Loughner said in a slurred monotone, seated with his back arched and his hands clasped over his legs.
He would repeat the words 19 times. As part of his plea, prosecutors agreed to dismiss 30 other charges against him.
Mr. Loughner’s plea came soon after Judge Larry A. Burns found him mentally competent to admit to the crimes.
Under the terms of the deal brokered by his defense team and the prosecution, he will spend the rest of his life in prison, and be spared a possible death sentence. The deal also means that the victims’ relatives and the shooting’s survivors will not have to endure a long trial with an uncertain outcome.
At the hearing, Mr. Loughner looked pale and skinny under his khaki prison uniform, offering short answers to questions asked by the judge — “Has anyone put unfair pressure on you” to plead guilty? “Do you understand all the provisions that are in this plea agreement?”
From a corner of the courtroom, his mother, Amy Joanne Loughner, wept quietly.
In a statement earlier on Tuesday, Ms. Giffords’s husband, Mark E. Kelly, said they had been in contact with the United States attorney’s office as the negotiations over Mr. Loughner’s plea evolved.
“The pain and loss” caused by the rampage “are incalculable,” Mr. Kelly said. “Avoiding a trial will allow us — and we hope the whole Southern Arizona community — to continue with our recovery and move forward with our lives.”
The AP report is, "Loughner pleads guilty to Ariz. shooting." It's written by Elliot Spagat and Bob Christie.
"He's a different person in his appearance and his affect than the first time I laid eyes on him," said Judge Larry A. Burns, who then accepted the plea agreement and added that he found it to be in the best interest of everyone involved.
The outcome was welcomed by some victims, including Giffords herself, as a way to move on.
"The pain and loss caused by the events of Jan. 8, 2011, are incalculable," Giffords said in a joint statement with her husband, Mark Kelly. "Avoiding a trial will allow us - and we hope the whole Southern Arizona community - to continue with our recovery."
Experts had concluded that Loughner suffers from schizophrenia, and officials at a federal prison have forcibly medicated him with psychotropic drugs for more than a year.
Court-appointed psychologist Christina Pietz testified for an hour about how she believes Loughner became competent. Loughner listened calmly without expression. His arms were crossed over his stomach, lurched slightly forward and looking straight at Pietz.
A plea agreement offers something for both sides, said Quin Denvir, a California defense attorney who has worked with Loughner attorney Judy Clarke on the case against unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
Prosecutors would avoid a potentially lengthy and costly trial and appeal, knowing that the defendant will be locked up for life.
Clarke managed to avoid the death penalty for other high-profile clients such as Kaczynski and Eric Rudolph, who bombed abortion clinics in the late 1990s and Atlanta's Olympic park in 1996.
The decision to spare Loughner a federal death sentence makes sense, said Dale Baich, a federal public defender in Phoenix who handles capital case appeals and isn't involved in the case.
"As time went on and there were numerous evaluations, I think everybody had a better understanding of Mr. Loughner's mental illness." Baich said. He added: "It appears that he will need to be treated for the rest of his life in order to remain competent."
The Arizona Republic reports, "Loughner found competent, pleads guilty in mass shooting." It's by Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Amy Wang and Michael Kiefer.
Loughner's plea included guilty pleas for the murders of U.S. District Judge John Roll and Giffords staffer Gabe Zimmerman. It also included guilty pleas for the attempted assassination of Giffords and the attempted murders of Giffords employees Pam Simon and Ron Barber. Barber succeeded Giffords as U.S. representative from Tucson.
All are federal employees.
He also pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of the others killed at Giffords' constituent event at a grocery store just outside of Tucson. Because it was an official congressional event, it was a federally protected activity.
The shooting rampage left six dead and 13 wounded.
The maximum sentence for the crimes would be mandatory life in prison without eligibility for parole.
There was stillness in the courtroom as the judge read the names of those killed, wounded or placed in danger during the shootings.
Loughner's plea agreement carries multiple life sentences, according to his lawyer, Judy Clarke.
In making his pleas to the judge, Loughner admitted that he planned to use his weapon to kill Giffords and others attending the Congress on Your Corner event. He also admitted intending to injure or kill others attending the event.
Another part of the plea agreement required Loughner to waive ownership of his Glock pistol, his ammunition and the 12-gauge shotgun seized at shooting scene.
He also must forfeit any future money he may be offered to write his story or give interviews.
Earlier coverage of the Loungher plea agreement begins at the link.
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