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| S.D. Inmate Sentenced to Life for Killing Cellmate |
| By Associated Press / Sioux Falls Argus Leader |
| Published: 05/19/2003 |
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An inmate at the state penitentiary has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his cellmate. Christopher Michael Fonseca was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in the death of Andrew L. Young, 23. Friday's hearing was a continuation of one that began May 12 when Fonseca made a motion to withdraw the guilty plea had made May 5. But on Friday, Fonseca withdrew that motion and asked Minnehaha County Circuit Court Judge Joe Neiles to continue the sentencing. Fonseca was accused of killing Young on July 6, 2002. 'I wanted to see if I had what it took to kill in cold blood,' Fonseca said in a statement to Neiles. 'I guess I did.' Chief Deputy Attorney General Mark Barnett said he was surprised that Fonseca withdrew his motion and pleaded guilty but was not surprised with the outcome of the hearing. 'I was pretty confident the judge would hold him to (his original guilty plea),' Barnett said. Barnett said he considered Fonseca's situation 'a great waste.' 'He wasted Andrew Young's life, and he wasted his own,' Barnett said. Fonseca will begin serving the life sentence after completing his current state and federal sentences. Fonseca, who is originally from New York, has been in prison since 1997 for a felony charge of issuing bad checks. Throughout 18 months served for that crime, Fonseca committed 160 prison infractions. The number of times he has been written up for breaking rules has increased since then. 'My respect for authority sits in the negative numbers,' Fonseca said, 'and I'm prone to violence.' |
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