Sacto 9-1-1

By Peter Hecht
phecht@sacbee.com

Tylar Marie Witt, whose lurid writings detailed a forbidden teenage relationship and an alleged murder plot, pleaded guilty today of the brutal killing of her mother.

tylarwitt.jpgWitt (left) was 14 at the time of June, 2009 killing of her mother, Joanne Witt, in their El Dorado Hills home.

She accepted a plea bargain that will send her to prison for 15 years to life in exchange for her testimony at the trial of her former boyfriend, Steven Paul Colver (bottom right).

Colver, who was 19 at the time of the crime, is charged with stabbing Joanne Witt to death in her bed after Tylar Witt summoned him to house in the predawn hours.

The teen lovers were allegedly furious that Joanne Witt filed a statutory rape report against Colver and gave authorities her daughter's journal detailing a sexual relationship between the teens.

Under a plea bargain agreed to before El Dorado County Judge James R. Wagoner, Witt pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with two special circumstances: lying in wait and killing a witness.

If she fails to cooperate with authorities, she will be sent to prison for 25 years to life. Under the plea bargain, she will get 15 years for second-degree murder.NorCal Mom Killed[1].jpg

Witt originally pleaded non-guilty by reason of insanity in to the case.

Her attorney, Mark Ralphs, said the plea deal - long in the works - means that "Witt has to testify truthfully" in all upcoming proceedings.

"What everyone has bargained for is her truthful testimony," Ralphs said.

Prosecutor Lisette Suder said court documents signed by the Witt, now 15, affirmed the girl's role in the killing.

"She pleaded guilty to murder and murder with special circumstances," Suder said. "She didn't say, 'No contest.' She said, 'I plead guilty.'"

Call The Bee's Peter Hecht, (916) 326-5539.

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About Sacto 9-1-1

Sacto 9-1-1 is a blog on crime and emergency services news in the Sacramento region.

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Sacto 9-1-1 Q&A

Q: What happened with the case regarding Marc McCormick? He was accused of videotaping a woman in her home and was arrested. He lives in my neighborhood and I see him all the time. Were charges dropped?


A: According to Sacramento Superior Court online records, misdemeanor charges have been filed against Mark William McCormick, alleging that he used a camcorder or other instrument to view an individual in a place where there was an expectation of privacy, trespassing and peeping.

His next court date is June 4.

According to Sacramento police logs, McCormick, 40, was arrested March 8 after the victim reported that a friend had entered her home without her knowledge to secretly videotape her.


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