Arizona man pleads guilty in Wisconsin murder
SUPERIOR, Wis. - An Arizona man has pleaded guilty in a Wisconsin murder two weeks before a jury trial was scheduled to begin.
Juan Padilla or Fort Mohave, Arizona, changed his plea to guilty of first-degree intentional homicide on Monday. The 42-year-old is charged in the shooting death of 46-year-old Terrance Luukkonen of Duluth, Minnesota. It happened at Genesis Attachments in Superior on May 23.
Padilla pleaded not guilty to the charge in July 2013.
His defense attorney tells KDLH-TV that Padilla doesn't want to have to go through a public trail.
Padilla will be sentenced in October. First degree murder is punishable by life in prison under Wisconsin law.
The Douglas County district attorney will recommend he be eligible for parole after 20 years in prison as part of the plea deal.