Man pleads guilty in north Austin murder case before trial starts
A man who was charged in connection with the death of an Austin man in November 2022 pleaded guilty to murder Monday morning before his trial began.
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A man who was charged in connection with the death of an Austin man in November 2022 entered a guilty plea to murder Monday morning before his trial was set to begin.
The trial for Gavin Roberts, 27, charged in the murder of Justin Haden, 34, was originally set to begin Tuesday, and jury selection was set to start Monday.
However, both sides entered an agreement for a guilty plea Monday morning as jurors sat outside waiting for the jury selection process to start.
Roberts initially entered a not guilty plea in September. He was facing charges of murder and tampering with a corpse, according to court records.
The plea agreement means Roberts has now pleaded guilty to murder, and the charge of tampering with a corpse is being dismissed.
He was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with credit toward time already served, which is 427 days.
KXAN's Dylan McKim spoke with Roberts' attorney Leslie Booker, who said back in September, they did not have an offer for a plea deal by the state prosecutors, but that Roberts always wanted to take responsibility for what happened.
"Mr. Roberts has always wanted to take responsibility for what happened, and he's confessed and he wanted to plead guilty, and so we were able to reach a deal," Booker said. "So, we were able to resolve the case without taking the family through a horrible ordeal."
Instead of a trial beginning Tuesday, there will be an allocution, which means friends and family of Haden will get the chance to speak in court.
Booker also told KXAN that Roberts wrote an apology letter to the family ahead of the trial proceedings starting this week.