A day after his trial date was set, Francis "Terry" Morgia entered a surprise guilty plea in connection with a high-speed chase and crash that killed a Brownville woman.

The 48 year old Watertown man appeared in Jefferson County Court Tuesday.

He was facing a 72 count indictment charging him with murder and manslaughter in the October 3, 2011 crash at the intersection of Routes 12 and 342 in the town of Pamelia.

Morgia pleaded guilty to 11 amended counts:

- second-degree attempted murder
- first-degree vehicular assault
- second-degree assault (two counts)
- driving while ability impaired by drugs (cocaine)
- first-degree unlawfully fleeing police
- fourth-degree grand larceny (four counts)

Sentencing is set for June 25 at 9:30 a.m.

He will be sentenced to 18 years in prison and five years post-release supervision, said Krystina Mills, assistant district attorney.

Morgia's plea came a day after the court scheduled his trial for June 18.

Mills said the plea deal was presented to Morgia Monday, but he declined to accept it.

Later that day, Morgia spoke with members of his family.

"After reflecting on the court proceedings, they collectively, as a family, decided to enter the plea," said Morgia's lawyer David Antonucci.

Antonucci contacted Mills Tuesday morning to say his client decided to take the deal.

Morgia admitted to snatching a purse from a woman at the Kohl's department store in the town of Watertown, then fleeing police, reaching speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour.

The chase ended when Morgia's car collided with a vehicle driven by William Rafferty, an off-duty Watertown city police officer.

One of Rafferty's passengers, 75 year old Shirley Hammond of Brownville, died in the crash.

Hammond was Rafferty's biological aunt, but raised him as his mother after Rafferty lost his parents in a car accident when he was about a year old.

Rafferty and his passengers were returning from the funeral of another aunt when the collision occurred.

Two other passengers in Rafferty's car were injured - 46 year old Jeffrey Hammond of Brownville and 25 year old Autumn Tharrett of Onondaga County.

Rafferty and Hammond were treated and released from Samaritan Medical Center.

Tharrett, a two-year veteran of the Syracuse City Police Department, was airlifted to University Hospital in Syracuse for treatment of a head injury.

Mills said she believed justice was served when Morgia pleaded guilty to the crimes.

"I'm pleased that he admitted to fleeing the police because I think that's really important here. People can't flee the police and they need to know that. So I think it was a really good disposition," said Mills.

See our earlier report

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