(MOBILE, Ala.) Mar. 5 - The man accused of throwing his four children off the Dauphin Island bridge, says he's guilty. Lam Luong entered a guilty plea during a change of venue hearing late Thursday afternoon. The shocking confession came in the form of a letter written by Luong. The case will still go to trial and jury selection will begin next week. The prosecution still has prove his guilt, even though Luong has confessed.
Search crews spent weeks combing the dark waters, looking for the 4 children thrown from the top of the Dauphin Island bridge. One by one, their tiny bodies were pulled from the water. Now, their father says he threw them from the bridge. An interpreter read his confession. Tam Vo, translator: "I'm pleading guilty for what I have done, that is the matter of killing my 4 children. I no longer want to live, just please grant my wish. I hereby request the death penalty as soon as possible, that is my request. Lam Luong." John Tyson, the District Attorney told us, "We did not anticipate that he was going to do that. As you know, we were preparing for trial beginning on Monday."
The surprise guilty plea came as a shock to many. Harold Faircloth said, "They don't want me on the jury, because he's guilty before I listen to anything else." Because this is a capital murder case, the trial will proceed as planned. Jury selection will begin Monday. Tyson told us, "Alabama law says we still have to go forward in a capital trial case. The upshot for us is that we have one additional piece of evidence now, and that is his plea of guilt." About 150 people will show up as part of the jury pool on Monday. 16 will be chosen to hear his case.
