A seemingly contrite Kenneth Edward Sanders today pleaded guilty to a murder charge in exchange for a life prison sentence with the possibility of parole in the 2011 stabbing death of his wife in front of their three small children.
The plea before Chatham County Superior Court Judge Timothy R. Walmsley came as a jury was poised to be selected for trial.
Sanders, 48, was charged with stabbing Nancy Sanders repeatedly at their Port Wentworth home July 23, 2011, as her three daughters, ages 4, 7, and 9 looked on.
The victim, 28, had bought ice cream and cake to celebrate Sanders’ birthday when he assaulted her. The children fled to neighbors after the attack, asking if they could help their mother.
Police found Sanders next to the victim’s body, a knife to his throat and threatening to kill himself. Officers had to Tase Sanders twice before arresting him, Guyer said.
“I’ve been through hell and I put a family through hell,” Sanders told the victim’s family seated in the courtroom. “I’m so sorry it ended this way. It wasn’t supposed to.”
Sanders, who has appeared in court in a wheelchair, stood to address the family and Walmsley. He earlier met with his attorney, Assistant Public Defender John Rodman, in the lockup before returning to the courtroom to announce his decision to take the state’s plea offer.
Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Parker Guyer said the state’s offer was a guilty plea to a malice murder charge in return for a sentence of life with the possibility of parole. She then dismissed prosecution of remaining counts including felony murder, cruelty to children and possession of a knife in commission of a crime.
If Sanders had gone to trial and been convicted on all counts, he faced a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole plus 65 years, Guyer told the judge.
“Madame prosecutor, I will be accepting your offer,” Sanders said. “Once again …I am sorry.”
When asked by Walmsley how he was pleading, Sanders responded, “Guilty.”
But when Walmsley asked the follow-up question of whether Sanders was in fact guilty, the defendant hesitated before responding, “Yes, Sir.”
The victim’s sister, Aretha Laurel, speaking for the family, told Walmsley the victim was he baby of eight children and her death had been very hard on the children.
“It’s hard every day,” she said, adding that if Sanders knew the effect on the children, he “would have died that night.”
“Theses children are destroyed by what happened,” she said. “For him to have taken her life, it was just sad.”
The court appearance ended differently than an earlier scheduled matter before Walmsley several weeks ago. In that session, Sanders complained that he was not happy with representation by the public defenders office and wanted new counsel.
In court today, Sanders apologized for his earlier conduct, assuring Walmsley he was satisfied with Rodman’s representation.