This article contains graphic information. Robert Jason Owens pleaded guilty to the murders of Cristie Schoen Codd, 38, her husband Joseph “JT” Codd, 45, and their unborn child in a North Carolina court, April 27. — via WSPA News.
In the court hearing, Owens confessed to accidentally running over the couple with his car — after they stopped to help him with car troubles — and burning their bodies in his wood stove. He then admitted to trying to stage a robbery involving the couple, where he sold the family’s belongings and moved their vehicles. He also confessed to texting Cristie’s family and friends from her cell phone.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree murder and two counts of dismembering bodies according to the news outlet. The judge sentenced Owens to a minimum of 60 years in prison, and a maximum of 74. As part of the plea, the death penalty was ruled out, and the robbery with a weapon charge was dismissed. Buncombe County District Attorney, Todd Williams said that Owens will most likely die in prison.
Owens’ defense team said that he was so fearful of police and high on pain killers, that he felt as though he needed to cover up the “accidental” crime. It’s also been reported that Owens was medicated for mental illness.
His lawyers said that Owens was also fearful of his name already being associated with the disappearance of Zebb Quinn, 18, in Jan. 2000. Owens was interrogated, but never charged in the disappearance and presumed murder of Quinn, as reported by the site.
Owens had worked as a contractor for the Codd family, according to CBS News. After the family was reported missing on March 14, 2015, he became a suspect in their disappearance after a near-by resident saw him putting large trash bags in a dumpster.
Cristie Codd was a contestant on season 8 of the reality cooking contest “Food Network Star”.
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