WOODLAND — A West Sacramento man accused of killing his three young children and trying to kill his wife pleaded guilty to the charges in full Thursday in an agreement with prosecutors that eliminates his exposure to the death penalty.
Instead, Robert William Hodges will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole for his Sept. 13 crimes, which, according to his confession to police, were motivated by the family’s financial problems.
Surrounded by family, Hodges’ wife Mai Sheng Vang put a hand to her face and wept as Yolo Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg read aloud the first-degree murder and attempted murder charges. Hodges replied “guilty” each time, his voice at one point cracking with emotion.
Behind the family, numerous members of the West Sacramento Police Department who responded to and investigated the killings somberly observed the proceeding.
Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 19.
In addition to taking the death penalty off the table, Hodges’ guilty pleas avoid a trial and re-airing of the disturbing testimony officers delivered at his October preliminary hearing, detailing the hours-long time period during which he asphyxiated his three children — Kelvin, 11; Julie, 9; and Lucas, 7 months — while Vang was at work.
Kelvin Hodges, 11; Lucas, 7 months; and Julie, 9; are shown during a happy family outing this past summer to Fairytale Town in Sacramento. The West Sacramento children were strangled to death by their father in September. Courtesy photo
Hodges also intended to kill Vang and then himself, planning the deaths for about a year, investigators said.
“He felt this was the best way to eliminate the entire family, and it would take care of all of their problems,” said Eric Palmer, the West Sacramento police detective to whom Hodges gave a full confession following his arrest.
According to Palmer, Hodges killed the children from youngest to oldest, finding the acts “so physically draining” that he took breaks with his iPad in between in order to recover. Lucas was choked and smothered by hand, Julie and Kelvin strangled with a belt after Hodges crept up upon the unsuspecting children.
He tried strangling Vang from behind when she returned home from work, but released her when she turned around to face him, Palmer said. Hodges then fled in the family car and was apprehended later that night.
Vang discovered her children’s bodies as a neighbor called 911 to report the assault on her.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office had not yet determined whether it planned to seek the death penalty against Hodges, 32, who faced the special-circumstance allegations of multiple murders and lying in wait.
District Attorney Jeff Reisig issued a statement following the plea saying his office “carefully considered all of the factors in aggravation and mitigation under California law related to punishment.”
“Ultimately, the surviving family’s desire for a swift and certain conclusion to this heartbreaking case led us to the conclusion that this resolution was most appropriate. The defendant will die in prison,” Reisig said.
Hodges’ defense lawyer, Ron Johnson, said he approached prosecutors several weeks ago with the plea agreement, crafted with assistance from the California Attorney General’s Office to preserve its integrity.
“He wanted to take responsibility and avoid putting the family through a trial and more than what they’ve already been through,” Johnson said of Hodges. “I think this was the best way to do it.”
Johnson previously issued a statement saying the death penalty would be inappropriate for his client, given his lack of criminal history and court testimony indicating “he simply snapped due to his deteriorating mental health condition.”
“While the deaths of Mr. Hodges’ children are immensely tragic, his actions were the product of the mental breakdown of an individual who was otherwise described as a loving father,” Johnson told The Enterprise.
Vang and her relatives left the courtroom without comment following Thursday’s hearing. The family’s attorney, Eric S. Meyer, said they’re expected to speak out at Hodges’ sentencing hearing, for which prosecutors requested several hours for the court to hear victim impact statements.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene