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OGDEN — A Weber County man accused of killing a woman and her son pleaded guilty to murder Wednesday afternoon.
Jeremy Valdes pleaded guilty to two counts of murder during his court hearing at 12 p.m., according to Utah State Courts spokeswoman Nancy Volmer. Each count of murder has a sentence of 15 years to life and the judge will decide if the sentencing will run consecutively or concurrently, Volmer said.
Valdes was on trial for double homicide after Pamela Knight Jeffries, 56, and her son, Matthew Roddy, 30, were found dead in their mobile home on Nov. 25, 2009. Valdes and his then-girlfriend Miranda Statler were staying at the mobile home at the time of the deaths, according to a previous KSL article.
Prosecutors say Valdes killed Jeffries and Roddy after fighting with them over prescription drugs. Their bodies were discovered hidden in a closet inside their mobile home on Nov. 30, 2009.
An autopsy revealed that Roddy died from stab wounds and the preliminary indication was that Jeffries died from blunt force trauma and possible strangulation.
Statler was also charged in connection with the crime and took a plea deal on March 22, 2010. Statler took a plea deal on March 22, 2010 in connection with the deaths. Valdes had previously rejected a plea deal on April 20, 2010 and told prosecutors they owed him an apology.
A sentencing hearing for Valdes was scheduled for March 10.
