Convicted rapist who killed prison guard sentenced to life plus 48 years

A prisoner who pleaded guilty to the stabbing death of a Colorado corrections officer has been sentenced to life plus 48 years in prison.

The Pueblo Chieftain reported Tuesday that 40-year-old Miguel Alonso Contreras-Perez pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for killing Colorado Department of Corrections Sgt. Mary Ricard in 2012.

Contreras-Perez also pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder for wounding Sgt. Lori Gann the same day.

Perez is an Army deserter who was sentenced in 2004 to 35 years to life in prison after he kidnapped and raped a 14-year-old girl in Colorado Springs.

Crowley County District Attorney Jim Bullock previously announced he was seeking the death penalty against Contreras-Perez.

Bullock says he settled for a plea agreement because a judge’s prior ruling inhibited a death penalty prosecution.