CONWAY, Ark. (AP) – An Arkansas teenager pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges that he robbed and killed the couple who raised him as their grandson, sidestepping a possible life term in prison.
Justin Staton, who is now 15 years old, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and other charges related to the 2015 shooting deaths of Robert and Patricia Cogdell, who were both 66 years old. Faulkner County Circuit Court Judge Troy Braswell accepted the change of plea and the agreement for Staton to testify against the other teens charged in the shootings, including Hunter Drexler.
Staton teared up as Braswell sentenced him to 35 years in prison. He had faced up to life in prison for the charges.
The Cogdells weren’t Staton’s biological grandparents, but they raised the boy even after discovering via genetic testing in 2008 that their son, Robert Shane Cogdell, was not Staton’s father.
“I hope every day for the rest of your life, you think about them,” Braswell told Staton. “Because they loved you and took care of you. … and the thanks you gave them was murder.”