Published May 03, 2016
A man has unexpectedly pleaded guilty in the samurai sword stabbing and bludgeoning deaths of a woman, her two children, her boyfriend and a NASA scientist in Los Angeles County.
Forty-four-year-old Steve Kwon pleaded guilty Thursday as a jury was being chosen for his trial in the 2008 Quartz Hill killings.
Prosecutor Beth Silverman said Friday the plea came as a surprise and that Kwon didn't have anything apparent to gain by admitting guilt. He would have faced up to life in prison if a jury convicted him, and he still faces life after the plea.
Kwon's attorney, David Sakata, declined comment.
In February, the ex-husband of the woman killed also pleaded guilty in the case, agreeing to testify against Kwon, his best friend, to spare himself the death penalty.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/man-pleads-guilty-in-murder-of-friends-ex-wife-her-2-children-boyfriend-and-nasa-scientist