"This was an incredibly painful, long drawn out trial. Mr. Jesse Widmark wants to move on. This trial involved law enforcement and the community. It is time to heal."

(Brandon Widmark)

(Jesse Widmark)

As I reported two days ago, the People made an offer to Jesse and Brandon Widmark. There was a plea this morning after some back and forth and hold up by Brandon Widmark who had at least three in court discussions with his attorney, Ms. Rebecca Linkous. As Deputy District Attorney Roger Rees detailed the pros and cons of the plea offer, Brandon  Widmark finally got a clue. 

I checked with Mr. Rees after the hearing. "Jesse agreed that Count 7 would be 8 years plus 10 years for the enhancement. Brandon agreed that Count 6 would be 8 years plus 10 years for the enhancement. No agreement was made as to the balance of the counts that they were convicted on."

There will be no retrial. At sentencing which is scheduled for April 17 and will take several hours, the People will dismiss the remaining counts. So no retrial on hung counts, Jesse and Brandon Widmark stipulated to prison terms which I mentioned above. Ms. Andrea Sullivan represents Jesse Widmark. She said Jesse Widmark was 18 at the time of the crime and he waived his appellate rights for Count 7. At sentencing, Ms. Sullivan said she would address "Franklin type issues." 

Finally, this nightmare of a trial that has sucked the life out of several people, more than usual in other high profile, violent, serious Humboldt Superior Court cases is almost over.

Deputy District Attorney Roger Rees told Judge Steven Steward, "The plea was discussed with the victims. They believe the verdict was a fair representation of the facts."

Ms. Andrea Sullivan's statement in court sums up this trial and plea perfectly. "This was an incredibly painful, long drawn out trial. Mr. Jesse Widmark wants to move on. This trial involved law enforcement and the community. It is time to heal."

In court, I sat with Jesse Widmark's aunt. Turns out I know her from years ago in a completely unrelated context. She has been there for every hearing. I cannot speak for other family members of these two defendants but she is different, even certain members of law enforcement know her and it is unfortunate that Jesse's actions are impacting other family members. This isn't the only case where a defendant's family is impacted.