Teen pleads guilty to killing man, 46, in White Center

A 16-year-old Seattle boy, charged as an adult with second-degree murder, pleaded guilty Wednesday for killing a father of four during a burglary last fall.

Jonathan Newman's mother, sitting behind him in a courtroom of the Regional Justice Center in Kent, cried as the slender teen answered a soft but clear "yes" to each question and said he understood the charges.

He is scheduled to be sentenced June 13. Newman faces 15 to 23 years in prison.

The family of Craig Hoffman was also in court. The 46-year-old man was killed when he came home to find three teenagers looting his White Center home. He chased them out and was shot twice in the chest by Newman.

Hoffman's family said their pain and loss are deep, but hearing the teenager plead guilty gave them some comfort.

Hoffman's stepsister, Andrea Mathison, said they were surprised by how young and small the teenager looks.

"I'm glad he was there, that he pleaded guilty," said Mathison. "I am glad that he admitted he was wrong. It is a relief that we don't have to go through the trial, that we won't be put through all of that.

Hoffman's four children range in age from 9 to 21. His family described him as "the kindest, sweetest man who loved his children more than anything and took his kids everywhere."

On Oct. 19, the day he was killed, Hoffman had just left his home in the 11000 block of 14th Avenue Southwest to take his daughter to school.

Newman, who was carrying a 9 mm handgun loaded with hollow point bullets, was looking for a house to burglarize with his two friends.

When Hoffman returned home, he found the boys and started yelling. The teens fled, but Newman turned and started firing the gun.

In a statement to the court, Newman admitted killing Hoffman.

"He caught me and my friends in his house and chased us. As I ran away, I panicked and I shot him. I did not intend to kill him, and I am very sorry for what I did," he said.

The two other teenagers, ages 14 and 15, who entered the house with Newman, originally were charged with second-degree murder but will be sentenced as juveniles for first-degree burglary in exchange for agreeing to testify against their companion.

The youngest boy in the group told investigators that he and Newman had committed more than two dozen burglaries in West Seattle, White Center and High Point in the months before the shooting.