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Published on: 9/20/2008
Last Visited: 9/20/2008
Frederick County Commonwealth's Attorney Glenn Williamson said Friday that his decision to enter a plea agreement with Jephson's attorneys was a difficult one, especially since Jephson did not deny responsibility for the crimes.
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Williamson rejected two plea agreements proposed by Coyne and Flood before accepting the offer approved Friday.
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"The worst possible outcome imaginable in this case would be that the defendant would be found ,not guilty,' and be set free out into society where he would post a substantial risk to all the citizens," Williamson said in a written statement he distributed after Jephson's hearing."With this plea agreement and under the law as it is now, this will never happen."
He said he could not have predicted a jury's verdict and that the prosecution's evidence was largely circumstantial because no witnesses were available to describe the crimes.
Still, Williamson said, he understands why some of the victims' relatives wanted Jephson sentenced to death.
"Personally, I think the death penalty would be the appropriate sentence," he said after Friday's proceedings.
Williamson said some people will be upset because their tax dollars will pay to incarcerate Jephson for the rest of his life, but a death sentence might have cost much more.