Teens plead guilty in killing of Battle Mountain family

Wednesday, April 7, 1999 | 12:14 p.m.

The guilty pleas by Kyle Ray and Colby Becker came at the end of a day-long hearing Tuesday in Lander District Court.

The pleas followed a ruling by Sixth Judicial District Judge Richard Wagner to allow some of the confessions made by the boys to be used at their trial that had been scheduled to begin next month.

Ray pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon, his attorney, Marc Picker, said Wednesday.

Colby pleaded guilty to one count of the same charge.

Each originally was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Ray's parents and sister.

Prosecutors said the teens, who were 15 years old at the time, plotted the killings then traded off pulling the trigger in the triple-homicide that stunned the small mining town last May.

Authorities said Becker shot James Ray, 42, with a Remington .22-caliber rifle. Kyle Ray was charged with shooting his mother, Kimberly, 37, and his sister, Jennifer, 12, with the same weapon.

The boys are too young to be sentenced to death. Both face up to life in prison with or without the possibility of parole.

Ray is scheduled to be sentenced June 14; Becker on June 15.

Picker said defense lawyers will argue for a chance of parole.

Under Nevada law, the sentence for each of the boys' guilty pleas is automatically doubled because a deadly weapon was used in the crime. In Ray's case, he potentially would have to serve 80 years before becoming eligible for parole, Picker said.

Becker would have to serve 40 years.