KENT, Wash. — Byron White, 19, pleaded guilty Monday to murdering a man as he robbed him of his cell phone last year in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood.
David Peterson, 54, was on an evening walk near Northwest 85th Street in February of 2014. He called 911 to report someone tried to rob him of his cell phone. Peterson could be heard telling the operator the robber was "coming back."
White told his friends he had to shoot Peterson because he saw his face during the robbery, according to charging documents. White shot Peterson in the chest; the bullet struck his heart and killed him.
Detectives said White later complained to his friends he was disappointed the phone "was not as nice as he had hoped".
White was 17 at the time and a football player at nearby Ballard High School. He was arrested March 1, 2014 at Sea-Tac International Airport as he tried to board a flight to Atlanta. When White's mother found out he was wanted, she told Seattle Police he was at the airport.
The guilty plea was part of a plea deal that recommended 28.5-year-sentence.
Avoiding trial and reaching a plea deal was a relief to Peterson's widow, Kimberly Peterson.
"The waiting is a burden," she said. "I'm just glad that it's come to an ending knowing justice is served and that there are consequences to actions."
David Peterson was an Army veteran who worked for decades in the Internet technology security field. His wife said he always wanted to keep moving -- that's why he was on a walk in Greenwood the night he was murdered.
"David was all about living for the moment and having a good time- just being a good person along the way and making sure he did the right thing," said a tearful Peterson outside the courtroom. "(I'm) just so sad to be without him. He would be proud of me."
White will be sentenced on November 9 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. While both sides agreed on a 28.5 year sentence, it will be up to the judge to make the final decision.