The teenager at the center of a deadly Osceola County shooting spree pleaded guilty today to two counts of first-degree murder.
Konrad Schafer, who was 15 when he was charged with the murders of David Guerrero and Eric Roopnarine in 2013, will have the other charges against him for allegedly shooting at homes around Kissimmee and St. Cloud dropped.
Schafer, now 18, will be sentenced at 9 a.m. April 15.
“His best hope is to accept responsibility and throw himself on the mercy of the court, and hope the court, you know, gives him something less than life,” said State Attorney Jeff Ashton, who prosecuted the case.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit and dark rimmed glasses, Schafer bowed his head and slowly shuffled away after Judge Jon B. Morgan accepted his plea and ended the 30-minute hearing.
He did not say much, shaking his head slightly as he answered most of Morgan’s questions with “No, your honor” and “Yes, your honor.” He did tell the judge he completed his GED.
Schafer fatally shot 17-year-old Guerrero, who was on his way to catch the bus for work at dawn on June 26, 2013 in Kissimmee. He faces between 40 years and life in prison for the killing.
Days later, prosecutors say Schafer and three others forced their way into the Poinciana home of Roopnarine, a 22-year-old club promoter, and killed him as he begged for his life. Because Schafer is one of four co-defendants in the murder, prosecutors will have to prove whether he intended to kill him.
Ashton said he will argue for life sentences in both killings.
“When you have two murders as brutal and completely senseless as these were, I just think that’s the sentence that we ought to be arguing for,” Ashton said.
Roopnarine’s father, Pooran Roopnarine, attended the hearing.
“I don’t know what to say. It is hard for me to say anything right now,” he said as he left the courtroom.
A co-defendant, David Damus, was found guilty of first-degree murder in Roopnarine’s death in June.
Prosecutors accused Damus of shooting Roopnarine.
The other two charged in Roopnarine’s death are Victoria Rios, who was 17 and is now awaiting trial, and Damus’ roommate Juan Muriel, who was promised a 10-year prison sentence in exchange for his testimony against the others.
The deaths took place during a 15-day spree of 22 shootings in Osceola County during the summer of 2013. The shootings left bullet holes in homes and cars throughout Kissimmee and St. Cloud.
Kissimmee police Chief Lee Massie said the shootings left residents frightened.
“We didn’t want our folks, our citizens, walking around in fear of the unknown,” he said. “So kudos to those investigators … for being able to put closure to this in an amazingly quick amount of time.”
Osceola County Sheriff Bob Hansell said Schafer’s age, coupled with the severity of the allegations against him, made the case stand out in his mind.
“It’s a sad thing when you see a child that young be involved in such a horrendous amount of crimes, and horrendous types of crimes,” Hansell said. “It’s something that we address on a daily basis, and we hope we’re making good efforts.”
Schafer had convinced his father to buy him a .45-caliber Hi-Point carbine and 100 rounds of ammunition. He then allegedly waited until his father went to bed, snuck the gun out of the house, and started riding around the area and firing.
Schafer’s father, Lothar Schafer, told authorities he bought the gun for his son a day before the shootings began because he told him he was having trouble with people in the neighborhood.
He pleaded no contest to a gun charge last January and was given four months in the Osceola County Jail and two years of probation. He may testify in his son’s sentencing hearing, Ashton said.
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