News Release from: Polk County Dist. Att. Office
Posted: July 29th, 2011 2:04 PM
Andrew Thomas Jondle of Dallas, Oregon, pleaded guilty today to two counts of aggravated murder. The charges were based on the events of August 30, 2010, when Andrew Jondle brutally killed his father and mother.
David Scott Jondle and Marilyn Ruth Jondle were found dead last August at their farm in an unincorporated area of Polk County, Southwest of Dallas.
In exchange for Andrew Jondle's guilty pleas and his testimony against his co-defendant, Cindy Lou Beck, District Attorney, Stan Butterfield, agreed to recommend a sentence of a minimum of 30 years in the custody of the Department of Corrections as to each of the two counts of aggravated murder. Ten years of each of the 30 year sentences will be served concurrently. This means that Jondle will serve a minimum of 50 years total. Andrew Jondle agreed to waive his right to be sentenced within thirty days, and will be sentenced after Beck's trial.
Jondle also pleaded guilty to Count 5, Burglary in the First Degree, and will serve 36 months concurrent to the murder charges on that count.
Butterfield had sought the death penalty against Andrew Jondle. A brief attempt to negotiate a settlement agreement had occurred early on in the case, but ended in a stalemate. After months with no progress, Butterfield and the defense team agreed to allow Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge, Eric Bergstrom, to attempt to break the deadlock. In Oregon a settlement judge from outside of the county of jurisdiction is commonly used in these kinds of situations.
Judge Bergstrom started conferring in person with both sides on Wednesday morning of this week. Butterfield credited Judge Bergstrom with the ultimate result. Butterfield said, "The Judge was very persuasive in his views. I have great respect for his approach to a case of this gravity."
The victims' family was involved in the process and was supportive of this resolution.
Butterfield also indicated assistance from Dan Wendel, Shannon Kmetic, and Darin Tweedt, Assistant Attorneys General from the Oregon Department of Justice was invaluable in today's result.
