Final defendant pleads guilty in ‘Basement of Horrors’ case

PHILADELPHIA – The final defendant charged with kidnapping, torturing and enslaving disabled adults who were discovered chained up in a Philadelphia basement over six years ago has pleaded guilty.

Nicklaus Woodard, of West Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday admitted he helped ringleader Linda Weston hold victims captive for years in the cramped basement. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports the plea comes more than two years after Weston struck a deal where she agreed to life in prison to avoid the death penalty.

Woodard faces up to life in prison during sentencing in April.

All five defendants in the “Basement of Horrors” case have admitted that they imprisoned mentally disabled persons and exploited them for over a decade. Three of the defendants, alongside Woodard, face sentencing this year.

___

Information from: The Philadelphia Inquirer, http://www.inquirer.com