2-15-2011
DA: Pieper was 'consumed with evil' on the day he killed Jenni-Lyn Watson
Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - A man from the Town of Clay accused of strangling and suffocating Jenni-Lyn Watson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday morning during his arraignment in Onondaga County Court.
When he is sentenced on March 8, Steven Pieper will receive 23 years to life in prison.
The plea deal shaved two years off of Pieper's minimum sentence, according to District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick. He added that the compromise was satisfactory.
The courtroom on Tuesday morning was tense, with the families of the victim and the admitted killer present.
Pieper's attorney, Scott Brenneck, said that he and his client thought the plea was an "appropriate resolution" to the case and that they did not want to put any of the individuals or families involved through a lengthy process such as a trial.
"Steve made it clear from the beginning he didn't want to put the Watson family, his family and anyone involved in this case through a trial. This was the appropriate way to resolve this," Brenneck said.
When asked if Pieper indicated any remorse for killing Watson, Fitzpatrick said he believes Pieper was only remorseful for being caught.
"The ultimate reason that he plead guilty was because the Sheriff's Department wrapped a noose around his neck that he wasn't going to get out of," Fitzpatrick said. "If the evidence wasn't there, he wouldn't care what he put her family through or what he put his family through."
He added that while he sat in jail for two months, Pieper was confident that the investigators could not connect him to the murder.
"I've been listening to him at the jail for two months and his original posture was, 'they have nothing on me.' Obviously the mountain of evidence changed his mind," Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick said that establishing a motive was problematic, but his office could draw one conclusion.
"On that particular day, he was consumed with evil," Fitzpatrick said. "And he killed that poor little girl for no other reason than she wanted to move on with her life. And there are monsters among us and that's the message."
According to Sheriff's Investigators, Pieper killed Watson at her family's home in the Liverpool area. The 20-year-old woman was home from college in order to visit her parents. Pieper then dumped the woman's body in a park in Clay, touching off a search for Watson that drew nation-wide attention.
Several new elements of the investigation were revealed in court on Tuesday. According to the DA, Pieper "choked the life" out of Watson before placing her body in his vehicle. In addition, minutes after he left the Watson residence on Donegal Way, Pieper was pulled over by a Sheriff's Deputy because of a license plate violation. According to the DA, Pieper was extremely cooperative with the deputy.
After a week of searching, Watson's body was found and, just a few hours later, Pieper was in jail.
Serving the minimum sentence would keep Pieper behind bars until middle age, but Fitzpatrick said that he is not interested in conceding the minimum sentence. He wants Pieper to serve the maximum – life.
"When he comes before the parole board, there will be an 81 year old ex-prosecutor sitting in the back of the room, pleading with them not to let him out,” the District Attorney said.
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/DA-Pieper-was-consumed-with-evil-on-the-day-he/jyuxyRaWU0qP-WqAU3Q-qw.cspx
Author