Saturday 13 April 2013

Austin Sigg pleads not guilty to murdering 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway

Austin Sigg pleads not guilty to murdering 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway, In a surprise legal move, Colo. teen Austin Reed Sigg, 18, pleaded not guilty on April 12 in a Golden, Colo. courtroom to the Oct. 2012 kidnapping, dismemberment and murder of his 10-year-old neighbor, Jessica Ridgeway, as well as the attempted kidnapping and assault of a female jogger on May 28, 2012, although he had previously confessed to both crimes.

According to CBS News, in addition to Sigg previously confessing to murdering Ridgeway and attacking the 22-year-old jogger, some of Jessica Ridgeway’s remains were also discovered in a crawl space in his home after his arrest.

Former prosecutor and current adjunct professor at the University of Denver law school, Karen Steinhauser, noted that “it's not uncommon for there to be a plea of not guilty to get things started, with the idea that the parties could continue to talk."

Steinhauser went on to say that Sigg can still change his plea, leaving the door open for a possible deal.

Sigg is charged with murder, kidnapping, sexual assault and robbery.

Prosecutors added three counts of sexual exploitation of a child because child pornography was allegedly found during the investigation.

If found guilty and ultimately convicted on the charges against him, Austin Sigg would be looking at life behind bars, with the possibility of parole after 40 years.

For more on the Jessica Ridgeway murder, see the video accompanying this article.

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