FORT WORTH -- If Chelsea Richardson felt relief when her death sentence officially became a life sentence, she did not show it.
Richardson was back in a Tarrant County courtroom Tuesday, this time to hear visiting Judge Steve Herod accept a sentencing agreement reached by prosecutors and her attorneys for the 2003 murders of Rick and Suzanna Wamsley of Mansfield.Wearing a baggy yellow jail jumpsuit and dark-rimmed glasses, Richardson, 27, spoke only to acknowledge that she waived her right to appeal.The hearing was mostly a formality. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Richardson's death sentence in November.The judges ruled that the punishment phase of Richardson's trial in 2005 was affected by misconduct by then-prosecutor Mike Parrish, who withheld evidence from the defense. Parrish retired in 2008.Richardson and her boyfriend, Andrew Wamsley, were convicted of capital murder in separate trials for the deaths of his parents. Authorities said Andrew Wamsley, Richardson and a friend, Susana Toledano, killed the couple so that Andrew Wamsley could inherit his parents' $1.56 million estate.Richardson was the only one to receive the death penalty.Under the new sentence, she must serve 40 years before she is eligible for parole. She will get credit for time served.Richardson's attorney, Robert Ford, who led efforts to get her conviction overturned, died last year. Attorney Bill Ray represented her at the hearing.Relatives of Richardson and the Wamsleys attended Tuesday's hearing. Richardson's mother, Celia Richardson, said afterward that she still believes that her daughter is innocent. She said she felt that her daughter was being "swept under the carpet" after an error-filled trial.Celia Richardson described her daughter's case as "totally screwed up."Rick and Suzanna Wamsley's relatives released a statement through a spokeswoman for the Tarrant County district attorney's office. They said they supported the plea bargain because the alternative would have meant returning to court for a new penalty phase and reliving the painful details of the crime once again.They said they plan to "fight paroles" for all involved."There is no such thing as closure for such a tragedy," the statement said. "Our family will be reminded of this horror each anniversary of Rick and Suzy's death, each holiday without them, all of the family celebrations without them."The hearing lasted for about five minutes. After Herod pronounced the sentence, Richardson whispered something to her attorney, ran a hand through her long brown hair, adjusted her glasses and walked with a courtroom officer out the door.This report includes material from the Star-Telegram archives.Alex Branch, 817-390-7689Twitter: @albranch1
From the archives: Teen held in parents' slayings
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