MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — A man who pleaded guilty to murdering four people in Skagit County in 2008 is asking to have his pleas withdrawn.
In 2009, Isaac Lee Zamora pleaded guilty by reason of insanity to two counts of murder, and guilty to 18 other charges stemming from a 2008 shooting spree that began in Alger and ended in Mount Vernon.
The pleas were part of an agreement made the day before the prosecuting attorney was to determine whether he would seek the death penalty.
The Skagit Valley Herald reports Zamora argues his pleas should be withdrawn because use of the death penalty as a bargaining chip is unconstitutional, and the state Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty violates the state constitution.
Zamora’s request will be heard on November 6th in Skagit County Superior Court.