40-year old McConnaughy told investigators he didn't mean to kill Adams when they got into an argument on Adams' property back in August 2008.
Commander Robert Thayer with the Kings County Sheriff's Office said, "He extended sorrow for the actions that had occurred and claimed them to be unintentional. He said if he had to live them over again he would have chosen a different action."
Investigators say, in September, after McConnaughy was sentenced in Tulare County to assault and attempted murder charges relating to a separate incident, he was brought to Kings County to face charges for murdering Robert Lee Adams. On October 1, 2009, he gave detectives a full confession to the killing and told them where they could find Adams' body. The remains were found buried in a riverbed behind the Farmersville High School stadium.
Chris Jordan with the Kings County Sheriff said, "What was left mostly were bones and it was in a type of bag just as the suspect had described."
Robert Lee Adams was reported missing by his daughter after she hadn't heard from him in several days. And just days after his disappearance, Ricky Erick McConnaughy was pulled over by Dinuba Police. He was driving Adams' white pickup truck and using his cell phone and credit cards. Investigators believe the crime was a robbery turned murder.
Investigator Thayer said, "There was a short altercation in which he struck Mr. Adams and Mr. Adams fell to the ground. He went to check on him after some time and he was dead."
In exchange for his confession and leading authorities to Robert Lee Adams' body, McConnaughy struck a plea deal with Kings County and asked them for one favor.
Sheriff Jordan said, "One of the major pieces was we would not announce locating the body until after his daughter's birthday. He wanted her to have a birthday that was a day of peace and so we agreed to that."
McConnaughy is expected to be sentenced in January to 15 years to life in prison for second degree murder. He'll serve the 15 years on top of the attempted murder sentence he received in Tulare County of 12 years.
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