After getting a conviction against the main defendant, prosecutors turned their focus on the co-defendant. /*Jeff Rancour*/ made a plea deal in exchange for his testimony against /*Phillip Woodley*/.
Prosecutors had already agreed to give Rancour an 18-year sentence in exchange for his truthful testimony against Phillip Woodley. But what they didn't require was what Rancour gave the victims' family Tuesday.
As Rancour looked directly at the people left behind by the murders of Roy and Angie Woodley, tears flowed.
"We're the daughters of Roy and stepdaughters of Angie," Joyce Ariola said through tears.
Rancour listened as family members explained the emptiness the deaths created, the depression, and the pain. They told him how unfair it is that he could take part in two deaths and still see a light at the end of the tunnel.
"Living 18-years in prison with the possibility of parole is better than not being able to live out your life," said the Woodley's' grandson, Chris Gonzales.
Rancour admitted to being there when Roy's son, Phillip Woodley, went into the Tarpey Village home in 2005. He said he helped tie up Roy Woodley, then stole from the home after Phillip killed his father and stepmother.
Rancour pleaded guilty to manslaughter and robbery. But his testimony helped prosecutors get murder convictions against Phillip Woodley. For that, Roy and Angie's family is appreciative.
"We do thank you for coming forward and taking some responsibility and ending this turmoil that we've been going through for almost five years," said Ariola.
And Tuesday, Rancour gave them something they weren't expecting -- an apology with a different kind of plea.
"I ask for your forgiveness for my involvement," he said. "I feel horrible and I'm ashamed. I'm deeply sorry."
For the second time since the murders, Rancour's plea got him what he hoped.
"I forgive you for what you did, your part in what you did," said Ariola.
Phillip Woodley's sentencing is scheduled for next Monday. He's expected to get a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
