ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A woman and a man shot and wounded two years ago by a St. Augustine police officer have pleaded guilty to two killings in California.
James Dotson, 27, and Kimberly Labore, 29, were arrested on Nov. 30, 1998 when St. Augustine police ran the tags of their van, suspecting it was involved in a hit-and-run accident.
The tag showed the driver had an outstanding warrant for a California home-invasion murder. When police approached, investigators said one of the suspects turned and pointed a gun at police.
No officers were hurt, but police shot Dotson in the chest. He recovered at a Jacksonville hospital, and has been in a California jail awaiting trial ever since.
Dotson and Labore were scheduled to be tried last week for the robbery, beating and murder of 58-year-old Watsonville, Calif., nursing home owner. Gaylord Chilcote was tied up and beaten before he was stabbed to death on Nov. 17, 1998. Prosecutors said the two apparently plead guilty just before the trial, seeking to avoid the death penalty.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel newspaper reported that at Dotson's sentencing in January, he faces a possible life term in prison with no chance of parole for the two killings.
Labore is set to be sentenced in March. She faces 25 years to life. She was offered a lesser sentence because she reportedly did not participate in the actual stabbing or beating of Chilcote.