Kidnapper plans guilty plea in Dugard case

PLACERVILLE, Calif., April 5 (UPI) -- A California woman kidnapped at the age of 11 apparently won't be put through the trauma of her abductor's trial, an attorney involved in the case said.

Stephen Tapson said Phillip Garrido plans to enter a guilty plea at his arraignment on charges of kidnapping Jaycee Lee Dugard, holding her captive for nearly two decades and fathering her two daughters, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

"He's confessed to it, so he's pleading guilty and he doesn't want to put Jaycee through the trial," said Tapson, who is defending Garrido's wife, Nancy.

The couple face 29 charges of kidnapping and sexual assault for the 1991 abduction of Dugard who is now 30 years old.

Tapson said Phillip Garrido is hoping his guilty plea will gain some mercy for his wife, who has pleaded innocent. There has been no comment from Phillip Garrido's attorney, Susan Gellman, concerning a plea, the Times said.

Phillip Garrido, 60, faces hundreds of years in prison.

"It was 530 years to life, the last I counted," Tapson said.