MANISTIQUE – Garry JC Cordell, 47, of Manistique, showed no remorse as he sat before Judge William Carmody in Schoolcraft County Circuit Court Thursday and pleaded guilty to three life felonies for his role in the deaths of three people whose bodies were found in a burnt vehicle last April.

Originally, Cordell faced 12 charges for his role in the deaths of sisters Heather Aldrich, 25, and Carrie Nelson, 31, both of the Newberry area, and Nelson’s boyfriend Jody Hutchinson, 42, of Gould City. The bodies of the victims were discovered on April 17 inside Hutchinson’s 2000 Oldsmobile Bravada, which had been lit on fire, on County Road 436, also known as River Road, in Doyle Township.

However, against the advice of his attorney, Cordell pleaded guilty to the new counts Thursday, which will take the place of the original 12 charges. The new charges include: homicide first-degree multiple theories, for the death of Aldrich; murder first-degree premeditated, for the death of Nelson; and murder first-degree premeditated, for the death of Hutchinson.

All of the charges have a mandatory punishment of life in prison without parole. Going to trial could have meant Cordell would have been found guilty of a lesser charge, but he understands the pleas will prevent the case from being heard by a jury.

“They could never prove that I did this, but yes, I understand,” he told Carmody.

Three separate written accounts written by Cordell that explain the fates of the victims have already been read into the court record, including two affidavits and a letter written by Cordell from his Schoolcraft County Jail cell.

However, Thursday was the first chance Cordell had to verbally confirm or deny his role in the murders. He was cavalier as he admitted to strangling two of the victims and standing by as former co-defendant Marietta Carlson choked a third.

When his attorney, Brian Rahilly, asked Cordell to confirm that he had choked Nelson to death with intent to kill, he calmly replied, “Absolutely.” When asked if he’d had time to think about his actions prior to Nelson’s death Cordell answered, “Most definitely.”

Details pieced together from Cordell’s written accounts and testimony from former codefendant Kenneth Daniel Brunke, 46, of Manistique, paint a gruesome picture of the events that led to the bodies being found April 17.

On Oct. 16, Brunke pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing justice, a five-year and/or $10,000 felony, for fleeing the state after the murders took place and for disposing of the tires that were on his vehicle once he was in Illinois. He also was arraigned and pleaded guilty on one count of lying to a peace officer during a violent crime investigation, a four-year and/or $5,000 felony, for telling Michigan State Police Det. Jeremy Hauswirth that the victims were alive the last time he saw them.

Carlson, who faced eight counts related to the murders died while in police custody. She was taken from the Schoolcraft County Jail to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital on June 15 after exhibiting “symptomatic behavior.” On June 16, she passed away from endocarditis, an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, at age 28.

While Cordell seemed relatively unfazed by Thursday’s courtroom proceedings or his imminent prison time, he was concerned about the future of any investigation that could take place between his guilty pleas and his sentencing, tentatively scheduled for Dec. 10.

“Isn’t there a way that I can waive pre-sentence investigation? I mean, there’s no sense in that. But obviously, what’s the sense in that? I mean, you have no discretion in the sentencing,” he said to Carmody.

Carmody explained that any investigation would be used to create a paper trail of exactly why Cordell was in prison once he was handed over to the state department of corrections.

As he left the courtroom, a smile returned to Cordell’s face and he winked at Det. Jeremy Hauswirth of the Michigan State Police, who has been actively involved in the investigation since the burnt car was first discovered.

Despite Cordell’s sentencing being tentatively scheduled for Dec. 10, the court is working to expedite the process. Brunke will appear before the court for sentencing on his two lesser charges on Dec. 10.