Mother Says Son Innocent In Death Of Sarah Lunde
"He signed the statement to make it end," Whitten, who lives in Michigan, said in telephone interviews.A message left Saturday evening for sheriff's officials was not immediately returned. The public defender's office has said it is looking into Onstott's statement.Onstott, a 37-year-old registered sex offender, has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and attempted sexual battery.Whitten told the newspaper that she believes Onstott is innocent."He never confessed to me once, and I never heard him confess to anyone else," she said. "I regret ever saying anything to him. I regret telling him to just say the truth because they used me to make it look like he confessed to me. They used me to break him down."Prosecutors on Thursday released several hours of recorded telephone conversations Onstott made from jail. In one call to his ex-wife, he said: "You know, I've broken every commandment now. Every single one." In other calls, Onstott consoles his mother and offers her financial advice.Sarah's partially clothed body was found April 16 in an abandoned fish pond near her family's mobile home. She was last seen April 9 shortly after returning to her Ruskin home from a church trip, but not reported missing until two days later.Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty for Onstott. His next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 27.Ruskin is about 15 miles south of Tampa.Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.







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