The Miami Herald reports that the Fort Lauderdale trial of a man accused of a gruesome murder ended Wednesday before the jury heard a word of it.
The 38-year old accused man entered a no-contest plea to a charge of second-degree murder in the 2007 slaying and dismemberment of a Long Island mother who allegedly met the shortly before her disappearance.
The accused will be sentenced to 30 years in Florida State Prison, with credit for time served since his 2007 arrest.
Last-minute pleas are not uncommon when the jury is waiting outside of the courtroom. Trials can be uncertain and sometimes people like to take guaranteed sentences (such as a plea deal) rather than risk the statutory maximum if found guilty at trial.