Richard L. Worthington put his head in his hands and sobbed as he signed a confession late Monday admitting he killed nurse Karla Roth during a September hostage crisis at Alta View Hospital.
Worthington, 40, entered guilty pleas to a reduced count of murder, eight counts of aggravated kidnapping and one count of aggravated burglary. In exchange for his guilty pleas, prosecutors agreed to drop a capital murder charge - eliminating possibility of the death penalty.The plea bargain eliminates a lengthy trial, which was expected to last six weeks. Instead, a three-hour sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 26.
Third District Judge Timothy Hanson accepted the pleas.
"What has occurred there is far beyond the reach of this court," Hanson said. "If I could change it by going to trial then I certainly would. Regardless of what I do, I can't bring Karla Roth back. Neither can you. It's done."
Worthington's family and friends cried throughout the hearing. Prosecutors will ask the judge to impose at least 30 and possibly 50 years minimum for the kidnappings as well as a consecutive life sentence for the murder. If the judge agrees, that would mean the Board of Pardons could not even consider parole for Worthington until after 30 years.
"What we all want is for this guy to go away for life and this accomplishes that," said Salt Lake County deputy attorney Greg Skordas.
Worthington, a father of eight, hesitated often and seemed uneasy while some of the charges were read. Hanson asked him if he was uncomfortable with anything.
"I'm not entirely happy with the wording on a lot of the charges, your honor," he said. "But I'm not sure it will ever be worded the way I want it."
Then he cried.
Salt Lake County Attorney Dave Yocom said the prosecution was satisfied with the compromise."We've now resolved the case in the best interest of the community, the Worthingtons and the victims," he said. Yocom said the Roths, the hostages and the police officers involved in the standoff had been informed of the plea agreement and were also satisfied. Only nurse Susan Woolley, who witnessed the shooting, was not informed. She is apparently out of town.
The victims will be allowed to testify at the sentencing hearing.
Margie Wyler, one of the nurses held during the ordeal, said she was pleased the matter didn't go to trial. "It's going to . . . let people get on with their lives," she said.
Before the September incident, Wyler said, she believed in the death penalty. Although she still believes it's appropriate in some cases, this isn't one of them.
"My opinion for this man was no, it wasn't for him," she said. "We want a good sentence out of this, though. We don't want to see him out in five years."
Defense attorney Andrew Valdez said Worthington agreed to plead guilty after realizing "he's going to have to pay the price" for the crimes. He's emotional because that price - prison - will impact not only him but also his family.
The only issue a trial would have resolved was Worthington's intentions in killing Roth, Valdez said. Worthington refused to plead guilty to the element of the charge that he "knowingly and intentionally" killed Roth. Instead, he admitted killing her with "depraved indifference."
"I think that Mr. Worthington didn't want to have to revictimize or retraumatize his family and the victims," Valdez said. "He accepts full responsibility for what he's done."
A "conservative estimate" of between $200,000 and $250,000 will be saved by not going through with the six-week trial, said Bud Ellett, chief of the county attorney's justice division. Had Worthington been convicted and then given the death penalty, there would undoubtedly be numerous appeals, too. "Nobody knows what that would have cost," Ellett said.
Worthington stormed Alta View Hospital in Sandy Sept. 20 armed with guns and explosives and demanding to see Dr. Glade Curtis, an obstetrician. He was apparently upset about a tubal ligation, an operation that prevents pregnancy, which Curtis had performed on his wife, Karen, two years earlier.
Worthington shot and killed Roth in the parking lot of the hospital. He then re-entered the hospital and held eight people, including nurses, patients and newborn babies, hostage in the Women's Center.
The ordeal ended when Worthington released the hostages and surrendered.
Worthington refused to plead guilty to any charge involving Curtis. Prosecutors, after speaking with Curtis, agreed to drop the attempted aggravated murder and the delivery of an infernal machine charges in exchange for his guilty pleas.
A ninth aggravated kidnapping charge involving Roth was also dropped.
The Worthingtons were divorced shortly after Richard Worthington was arrested. Hanson, however, agreed to allow him to meet with his ex-wife - apparently to discuss the plea bargain - in the judge's chambers.
Karen Worthington sat on one side of the room and Richard Worthington on the other. Two armed guards were with them at all times, even though Richard Worthington asked the guards to leave the two of them alone. They spoke for 20 to 30 minutes.
Worthington plans to submit statements of responsibility and remorse to the court and the victims by the sentencing date, Valdez said.