Actually, his exact words vary depending on which news outlet is reporting them, but the meaning is unambiguous.
The circumstances under which Bracamontes made his outburst mean that it is not a formal plea, so all it does is complicate matters. The case was already complicated by Bracamontes' status as a twice-deported illegal with a long criminal history who was back in the US illegally at the time of the killings.
At least one legal expert has offered the opinion that the remarks have now turned everyone in the courtroom into potential prosecution witnesses and also may have strengthened the expected defense effort to have the case moved out of Sacramento. Unless Bracamontes is successful at entering a formal plea of guilty -- something his attorneys are not yet prepared to allow him to do -- a lengthy trial is likely.
The prosecution is reportedly seeking the death penalty, which in this instance reminded us of a comment made by the mayor of a small New Jersey city many years ago, when an unrepentant thug was arrested for a killing. “We’ll spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a trial and prison,” this mayor said. “But a piece of rope is only eight dollars.”
Sketch courtesy of KCRA
