Today, Phillip and Nancy Garrido pled guilty to various kidnapping and sexual assault charges relating to the June 10, 1991 kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard. Both Phillip and Nancy Garrido will receive life in prison at the sentencing hearing scheduled for June 2, 2011.

Defendant Phillip Garrido pled guilty to kidnapping (Count 1) and to all the sexual assault counts alleged in the Indictment (Counts 4 – 16), as well as to all priors and enhancements. He will be sentenced on June 2, 2011, with a maximum possible sentence of 431 years to life in prison. He has waived his right to appeal.

Defendant Nancy Garrido pled guilty to kidnapping (Count 1), to one count of rape by force, and to various enhancements, including the “One Strike” rape law. She will be sentenced on June 2, 2011 to the negotiated disposition of life in prison (25-to-life sentence pursuant to the “One Strike” rape law, plus 11 years, which is the maximum possible sentence for the kidnapping charges based upon the sentencing laws in 1991). She has waived her right to appeal. Nancy Garrido’s plea was offered contingent upon Phillip Garrido pleading guilty and waiving his right to appeal.

California sentencing laws do not provide for the death penalty or for life without possibility of parole (LWOP) for the offenses committed by the Defendants.

The enormity of the Defendants’ actions has caused tremendous pain and suffering to Jaycee, her mother Terry Probyn, and their family. With a guilty plea by both Defendants, Terry, Jaycee, and her children can now be spared the grief and trauma of having to be dragged into the court process to testify at a jury trial.

“I would like to personally and professionally thank the tireless efforts of the many law enforcement agencies who contributed to the investigation and prosecution of Phillip and Nancy Garrido. They include the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department, NASA, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Concord Police Department, UC Berkeley Police Department, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department, Pittsburg Police Department, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Hayward Police Department, as wells as many of the members of the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office. Each was instrumental in ensuring that the Garridos were held fully accountable for their actions.

Additionally, were it not for Jaycee’s strong cooperation with our office and the prosecution of the Garridos, we would not have been able to firmly stand by our position to take this case to jury trial. Jaycee’s courage and willingness to confront her abductors in court directly led to the Defendants’ plea and life sentences.” – Vern Pierson, El Dorado County District Attorney

The guilty pleas and appellate waivers of both Phillip and Nancy Garrido can finally bring certainty and closure to Jaycee and her family who have waited almost 20 years for justice in this case.