One month ago a judge ruled jurors would be allowed to see Dante Solomon's confession in the death of another teen.
On Wednesday, Solomon pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and agreed to serve a life sentence in prison.
The 18-year-old will have to serve at least 25 years before becoming eligible for release. Had he gone to trial and been convicted, he could have faced a natural life sentence.
Pima County Superior Court Judge Javier Chon-Lopez will sentence Solomon on March 27.
Austin Wayne Maudsley, 16, ran into Solomon and Santos Angel Hernandez at Ora Mae Harn Park on March 11, 2011, and left with them to go to an apartment complex across the street.
Hernandez, who was 15 at the time, and Solomon told Maudsley they needed to grab something from inside Solomon's apartment, police said. While inside, the pair decided to steal Maudsley's wallet and armed themselves with knives, according to Marana police.
People are also reading…
The pair then led Maudsley to a housing development site south of the apartments and stabbed him several times, leaving him to die, police said. A dog walker found Maudsley's body one week later.
On Wednesday, Assistant Pima County Legal Defender Vincent Frey told Chon-Lopez the wallet contained $50.
Frey had tried to get Solomon's confession tossed out. He told now-retired Judge John Leonardo that when Solomon confessed, he was wearing only a pair of shorts, his parents weren't with him, he was sleep-deprived and was under the influence of drugs.
In his written ruling, Leonardo noted police gave Solomon coffee and a jacket, Solomon told detectives he wasn't impaired and he was living relatively independent of his parents anyway.
Solomon and Hernandez were both evaluated by doctors last year to determine if they were mentally competent to stand trial.
Solomon has a history of mental-health issues and told police he was hearing voices when the crime occurred. Hernandez has mood swings and may have cognitive difficulties, his attorneys said.
The doctors determined Solomon was competent, but said Hernandez was not. He is currently in a restoration-to-competency program at the Pima County jail.
On StarNet: Follow the news and events at Pima County's courthouses in Kim Smith's blog, At the Courthouse, at go.azstarnet.com/courthouse
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com
