ST. GEORGE — A teenager who earlier pleaded not guilty to murder and aggravated robbery in the death of a local golf course mechanic pleaded guilty on Monday to an amended charge.
Koda Quest Lanza, 17, was scheduled to begin a five-day jury trial jury trial Monday but instead entered a guilty plea to the murder charge. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors dropped the aggravated robbery charge.
Two enhancements were added to Lanza's guilty plea. One for using a dangerous weapon and a second for gang involvement and working in concert with two or more people in commission of a crime. Because of the enhancements, Lanza faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 9 years to life in prison, said 5th District Judge James L. Shumate. A sentencing date was not set, although a presentence report was ordered.
Lanza is the second of three men charged in the murder of Ted Banister on Jan. 3 at Southgate Golf Course to plead guilty. Banister, who was found by a co-worker inside a maintenance shed at the golf course, had been shot six times.
Juan Antonio Olvera, 19, who was charged with aggravated murder and aggravated robbery, pleaded guilty in May to a reduced charge of first-degree felony murder and a charge of aggravated robbery, also a first-degree felony. In pleading guilty to the reduced charge, Olvera avoided the death penalty. He now faces a possible sentence of 18 years to life in prison on the two charges.
Both Lanza and Olvera agreed to testify truthfully against the third defendant in the case, Robert Arthur Audette, who is charged with murder and aggravated robbery in the case. Audette, 18, earlier pleaded not guilty to the two first-degree felony charges against him. He also pleaded not guilty to two counts of witness tampering, a third-degree felony.
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