It was the most dramatic twist you could ever imagine in a murder trial. For four years, a killer had evaded the police. Even after being arrested he declared his innocence and fought for his freedom. But he was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with no parole for 25 years. Still insisting he didn’t do it, he successfully appealed the conviction. The appeal court judges agreed with his lawyers that a legal technicality had played out against him. The conviction was quashed, and he earned a new trial.
This time, as the retrial got under way in 1995, the legal technicalities seemed to be working in the prisoner’s favour. Testimony from one witness against him was struck down by the judge and could not be admitted as evidence. John Antinello was winning the fight against the charge that he had murdered Sherwin Fettig. Antinello was edging ever closer to freedom.
Suddenly, Antinello’s lawyer stopped the proceedings right in the middle of the prosecution’s case. When the trial resumed, Antinello dropped a bombshell. He confessed to the killing and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, knowing his plea brought with it the mandatory sentence of life in prison.
What brought about this sensational change of heart?