Ashton Colby Sachs
A former college student pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing his parents and also shooting his 8-year-old brother, who was left paralyzed, in San Juan Capistrano about 2 1/2 years ago.
Ashton Colby Sachs, now 22, was 19 when he killed Bradford Hans Sachs, 57, and Andra Resa Sachs, 54, who were found dead about 2 a.m. Feb. 9, 2014, inside their home in the 32000 block of Peppertree Bend.
The defendant also shot his 8-year-old brother, Landon, and fired at — but missed, his 17-year-old sister, Alexis, authorities said.
Sachs, who pleaded guilty to two counts each of murder and attempted murder, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 14 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors decided against seeking the death penalty.
Two of the murdered couple’s daughters were in the residence at the time of the shootings, but they were unable to identify the killer that night, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh, who filed the case against Sachs.
The parents’ business background complicated the investigation, according to Justin Montano, the primary detective on the case. The couple — who were divorced but still lived under the same roof — had extensive real estate holdings, and investigators early on looked into whether their deaths were related to their business dealings, he said.
Phone records, witness statements and other evidence ultimately pointed to their son, Baytieh said.
Sachs, wearing a yarmulke and orange jail jumpsuit, sat next to his court-appointed investigator, Alfredo Rasch, during today’s hearing. Sachs had won the right to defend himself before he decided to plead guilty today in a move that caught prosecutors by surprise.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregg Prickett methodically went through the legal admonitions with Sachs to make sure he understood what he was doing. Each time, Sachs would reply, “Yes, your honor.”
“You understand that if you plead guilty to these charges, you will never be released from prison?” Prickett asked Sachs.
“Yes, I do, your honor,” he replied.
Sachs also admitted special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and sentence-enhancing allegations of the personal use of a firearm causing death, personal use of a gun causing bodily injury and causing paralysis.
–City News Service
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