An Arizona man being held on a murder charge made surprise confessions in two other killings, and told authorities he would have continued on a vigilante-style killing spree if he hadn't been caught, authorities said Wednesday.
William Inmon of the rural eastern Arizona town of Springerville is among four people charged in the death of 16-year-old Ricky Flores from nearby St. Johns. Flores' body was found burned and buried in a shallow grave two weeks after his mother reported him missing on Aug. 14.
Inmon, 21, pleaded guilty to that slaying and confessed to the separate shooting deaths of 60-year-old Daniel Achten and 72-year-old William "Stoney" McCarragher, Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting said.
Achten was reported missing in March. McCarragher was found shot to death in his bed in 2007. Both men lived alone on rural properties outside of St. Johns.
Whiting said Inmon expressed remorse about killing Flores — the two were known to be friends. But Inmon told authorities that he was proud of the other two slayings, saying that both of them needed to go, Whiting said.
"He is ridding society of less-than-desirable people, in his mind. People he determines should not be in society," Whiting said.
Inmon had planned to kill two others, including a drug dealer, Whiting said.
Inmon led investigators last week to Achten's body on Achten's property. Like Flores' body, Achten's was burned and buried in a shallow grave, Whiting said.
Inmon had been considered a potential suspect in McCarragher's murder, but was never charged, Whiting said. Instead, authorities focused on a group of youths who discovered McCarragher's body days after he was shot.
Sorry for involving friend
When asked whether he had any regrets, Whiting said Inmon told authorities he wished he hadn't involved others in the murders.
Inmon's friend, Joseph Roberts, faces a first-degree murder charge in McCarragher's death. The 22-year-old is also charged with concealment of a dead body, tampering with evidence, hindering prosecution and mutilating a human body in Achten's death, authorities said.
An after-hours call Wednesday to Inmon's attorney, Albert Lassen, went unanswered.
Prosecutors have agreed not to pursue the death penalty because Inmon was cooperating with authorities. He faces 25 years to life on each count of first-degree murder.