Xavier Rodriguez-Colon unexpectedly pleaded guilty to third-degree murder on Monday. He was charged as an adult in the Aug. 22, 2007, murder of Shawnee Koch.
Rodriguez-Colon faces 20 to 40 years in state prison under a proposed plea agreement between the prosecutor and defense lawyer Richard Reynolds. Under the agreement, he has agreed to testify against 29-year-old co-defendant Yonel Hernandez-Payero. Authorities say Hernandez-Payero was driving the car in what started as a robbery plot.
The judge decided to wait until after Hernandez-Payero's trial before deciding whether to accept the plea agreement.
Information from: Reading Eagle, http://www.readingeagle.com/
