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OGDEN -- A Weber County man on trial for double homicide rejected a plea deal that would have saved him the death penalty. He says prosecutors owe him an apology.
The Standard-Examiner reports that in court Monday, Jeremy Valdes claimed he did not murder Pamela Knight Jeffries, 56, and Matthew Roddy, 30, and told the judge his ex-girlfriend is trying to frame him.
Valdes and his then-girlfriend Miranda Statler were staying at Jeffries' and Roddy's Roy mobile home in November of 2009.
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 several days after the fight took place.
Statler was also charged in the crime, but took a plea deal in March.
The newspaper reports that on Monday, Valdes went on a rant for several minutes in court, claiming innocence. "I'm tired of the atrocities being spoken about me, and I'm not going to take it anymore," he said. "I will expect an apology."
Prosecutors had hoped Valdes would take a plea in order to avoid the death penalty. They say they will now put that sentencing option back on the table.
Police say Valdes confessed to the murders after his arrest in November.
