U.S. Soldier who fled to North Korea pleads guilty at Fort Bliss court hearing
Update: The court accepted King's plea deal. During the sentencing phase, which began at 2:00 PM, the court stated the under the plea agreement, the maximum sentence King could receive is 12 months.
He will receive credit for 338 days of pretrial confinement. He would have faced up to 20 years if he had not agreed to the plea agreement.
Update: King pleaded not guilty to desertion, assault of non commissioned officer, and three counts of willfully disobeying a superior officer.
King explained in court his actions of desertion and explained that he had decided to leave the army permanently a couple of months before the incident. He was diagnosed with mental health conditions, too.
King explained his intention was to stay in North Korea. He explained that he was dissatisfied with work and "just wanted out."
King chose to be sentenced by a military judge only, and not by court members. The sentencing is expected to happen today.
King's parents were in the courtroom at the beginning of the court session. ABC-7 has a crew inside the courtroom and will continue to provide updates throughout the day.
FORT BLISS, TX (KVIA) -- U.S. Army Private Travis King, the soldier who crossed into North Korea last year, is expected to plead guilty to multiple charges at a court-martial hearing at Fort Bliss today, according to his attorney.
King is facing 14 charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including desertion, assault, and disobeying a lawful order. He is expected to plead guilty to five of the charges, including desertion, in exchange for a plea deal.
“The remaining charges will be withdrawn and dismissed by the Army," his attorney Franklin Rosenblatt said in a statement issued to ABC News. Those charges include possession of child pornography.
Today’s hearing comes after King ran across the border from South Korea into North Korea, when the was supposed to return back to Fort Bliss in July 2023. King was previously stationed in South Korea, and just days before his escape, he was released from a South Korean detention facility, where he had been held for nearly two months following an assault charge. At the airport, King ditched his escorts, joined a tour group at the Korean Demilitarized Zone and ran across the border.
The military judge will decide whether to accept his plea deal or take the case to contested court martial.
If the judge accepts King’s guilty plea, he will be sentenced. King is set to appear in a Fort Bliss courtroom at 9:45 a.m.
Stay with ABC-7 for the latest on today's hearing.
