September 08, 2017 - 1:39 PM
HARTFORD, Conn. - The Latest on guilty pleas entered Friday by William Devin Howell, an East Coast drifter who authorities say killed seven people in Connecticut in 2003 (all times local):
4:25 p.m.
Lawyers for convicted serial killer William Devin Howell say he pleaded guilty to spare the families of the Connecticut victims further emotional pain.
Attorneys Jeffrey Kestenband and William Paetzold issued a statement after Howell pleaded guilty on Friday to six counts of murder. They also said avoiding a trial will save state taxpayers nearly $1 million.
Howell pleaded guilty in New Britain Superior Court. He is expected to be sentenced Nov. 17 to 360 years in prison.
The 47-year-old native of Hampton, Virginia, had previously been convicted of manslaughter in a seventh victim's death and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The seven victims — six women and a man — were all killed in 2003. Their bodies were found buried behind a strip mall in New Britain.
____
3:45 p.m.
An East Coast drifter who authorities say drove a van he called the "murder mobile" has pleaded guilty to killing six people in Connecticut in 2003.
William Devin Howell entered the pleas Friday in New Britain Superior Court. He is expected to be sentenced Nov. 17 to 360 years in prison.
The 47-year-old native of Hampton, Virginia, had previously been convicted of manslaughter in a seventh victim's death and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The bodies of the seven victims — six women and a man — were found buried behind a strip mall in New Britain.
The guilty pleas Friday confirm Howell is the most prolific serial killer in Connecticut history.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017