Man Pleads Guilty to San Juan Capistrano Double Murder; Gets Life, No Parole

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — A college student pleaded guilty today to the San Juan Capistrano murder of his parents. Former college student Ashton Colby Sachs also shot his 8-year-old brother leaving him paralyzed in the attack.

Sachs was 19-years-old when he killed his father, Bradford and mother Andra. The couple was found dead in their San Juan Capistrano residence at 2 a.m. on Feb. 9, 2014 at the 32000 block of Peppertree Bend.

He also shot his 8-year-old brother, Landon and shot at his 17-year-old sister, Alexis though she was not struck, according to authorities. A second sister was not harmed in the attack.

Sachs, who won the right to defend himself earlier this year, pleaded guilty to two counts each of murder and attempted murder in a move that caught the prosecutors by surprise according to City News Service report. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 14 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors decided against seeking the death penalty.

According to Senior Deputy District Attorney Ebrahim Baytieh, who filed the case against Sachs, Ashton Sachs returned from Seattle to Orange County with the intention of murdering his family. After the shooting, he fled back to Seattle. Investigators from Orange County Sheriff's Department arrested Sachs for the murder of his parents and shooting of his brother on March 6, 2014.

Justin Montano, the primary detective on the case, described the Sachs parents' business background as part of what complicated the investigation. Though the couple was divorced, they remained in the same San Juan Capistrano residence. Their real estate investments were extensive and investigators early on looked into whether their deaths were related to their business dealings however phone records, witness statements and other evidence ultimately pointed to their son, Baytieh said.

Sachs appeared in court wearing a yarmulke and orange jail jumpsuit and sat next to his court-appointed investigator, Alfredo Rasch, during today's hearing.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregg Prickett explained the legal ramifications with Sachs to make sure he understood what he was doing. For each legality explained, Sachs replied, "Yes, your honor."

"You understand that if you plead guilty to these charges, you will never be released from prison?" Prickett asked Sachs.

"Yes, I do, your honor," Sachs said.

Sachs also admitted special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and sentence-enhancing allegations of the personal use of a firearm causing death, personal use of a gun causing bodily injury and causing paralysis.

City News Service contributed to this report. Orange County Sheriff's Department Booking Photo, Ashton Sachs