Confessed serial killer Roberto Arguelles took one step closer Monday to getting his wish of being executed.
The portly, pony-tailed Arguelles pleaded guilty to four counts of capital murder for the murders of three teenage girls and a West Valley woman five years ago.Arguelles, 35, was charged with the slayings after he confessed to abducting and murdering Lisa Mar-tinez, 16; Tuesday Roberts, 15; Stephanie Blundell, 13; and Margo Bond, 42, while he was on parole in February and March of 1992.
Arguelles confessed to the crimes in 1995 and immediately said he just wanted to plead guilty and be executed.
Monday, 3rd District Judge David Young accepted the guilty pleas after going over the charges and other legal matters line by line with Arguelles, who waived several of his rights.
One of those rights was that of being sentenced by a 12-member jury in the "penalty phase" of the case. Prosecutors will now prepare to present their case to Young, who will decide whether the death penalty is warranted.
Salt Lake District Attorney Neal Gunnarson used a sports analogy to explain what was anticipated.
"The regular season just ended," he said. "Now, this is like the playoffs. We need to make sure we do everything right because this is where the decision will be made whether he is given the death sentence or not."
Gunnarson said a sentence of death is "the appropriate penalty" for the crimes.
Young scheduled a sentencing hearing to begin June 17. That isn't soon enough for Arguelles, who told the judge he was ready to go "now" with the judgment.
It's not the first time Arguelles has appeared impatient.
Since his confession almost two years ago, Arguelles has accused prosecutors of delaying his case by dragging their feet; he has filed motions to act as his own defense attorney; and he remains resolute about being charged as accused and facing a sentence of death.
Not the typical behavior of a defendant who, if convicted, may be put to death.
But Arguelles is not an ordinary client, said Ed Brass, one of his three court-appointed "advisory" defense lawyers.
"He's a bright guy," Brass said, adding he feels Arguelles is competent to represent himself.
Brass also believes Arguelles is sincere in facing the death penalty, in part, to give something back to the victims.
"He feels the need, in some way, to mitigate the (victims') families' sense of loss. It's kind of hard to put in a simple phrase, because it's not just about retribution. He realizes he's caused some serious damage.
"He's made it clear that this is what he wants. In my opinion, he's serious" about facing execution, Brass said. "This is not a game for him."
But one victim's father doesn't buy that.
"I've got mixed feelings," Wade Roberts said Monday outside the courtroom after Arguelles pleaded guilty. Roberts' daughter, Tuesday, was stabbed to death with a wood chisel after Arguelles kidnapped her.
"I don't know if he's trying to find a loophole or what. I hope they don't release him. . . . But I'm glad he wants the death penalty," Roberts said.