Billy Jack Limbaugh, 45, pleaded guilty Thursday morning to assault as part of a plea deal. He was sentenced to eight years for aggravated assault.
He was originally charged with murder, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and other charges.
“There were serious issues with the state being able to prove any of these cases,” said Fred Stangl, Limbaugh’s defense attorney, said.
Stangl said it was a reasonable result because prosecutors would have trouble proving the murder case.
In 2014, Limbaugh was arrested and charged with the 2008 murder of Monica Adams.
It was a cold case until the arrest of Limbaughʼs father for an unrelated case. DNA from Limbaughʼs father was close to a DNA match with material found at the murder scene. That led to further testing which was a match for Limbaugh according to police.
Adams was found dead at East Bradley Street and North MLK Boulevard. Her clothing had been forcibly removed.
“Over the years there are a number of things that occurred with witnesses,” said prosecutor Sunshine Stanek. Stanek said these “things” affected both the availability and credibility of witnesses.
“The DNA evidence has not changed in this case,” Stanek said. While the DNA was a factor, she said it was not the only factor. She declined to go into detail into why the DNA was not enough.
Stanek said her job is to seek justice based on the facts of each case.
“The facts in the case support the sentence that Mr. Limbaugh received today,” Stanek said.
The family of Monica Adams was patient and gracious, according to Stanek.
