CRESCENT CITY, CA (AP) — A Northern California mixed-martial artist
accused of ripping out his friend's heart and removing his tongue while
the two were on hallucinogenic drugs has pleaded guilty to murder and
mayhem charges.
Jarrod Wyatt
of Crescent City agreed to a plea deal in which he will serve 50 years
to life in prison, Del Norte County prosecutors said. His official
sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 4.
Wyatt pleaded guilty to first-degree murder involving mayhem in the
March 21, 2010, death of his sparring partner, 21-year-old Taylor
Powell, prosecutors said.
"The earliest he'll be able to see a parole board is 2062," District
Attorney Jon Alexander said. "We saved Taylor's family the agony from
reliving the incident at the trial."
Wyatt's attorney, James Fallman, said his 29-year-old client didn't
want to testify at trial and he didn't want his family to testify.
"We looked for an agreement that would at least give him the
opportunity to be paroled someday," Fallman said. "As bad as 50 years to
life sounds, it's better than life without the possibility of parole."
The agreement was reached Thursday night, four days before Wyatt's
trial was to begin in Crescent City, the Eureka Times-Standard reported
Friday.
When police arrived that day at a home at the mouth of the Klamath
River, they found Wyatt naked and covered in blood. He told the
officers, "I killed him," and said he had cut out Powell's heart and
tongue, according to court documents.
The officers found Powell's body on the couch of the Requa home. His
chest was cut open, and his heart, tongue and the skin of his face were
gone, court records said. His heart was found charred in a wood-burning
stove.
An autopsy determined the organs had been removed while Powell was still alive, the documents said.
Witnesses say the two had ingested hallucinogenic mushrooms before the
attack and believed they were involved in a struggle between God and the
devil.
Wyatt had entered duel pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of
insanity, prompting psychiatrists to evaluate his mental competence. In
May, a judge ruled Wyatt was competent to stand trial.
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