Defendant in murders seeks his execution

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – In what experts say is a rare occurrence, a man accused of murdering two children and attacking their mother has asked a judge to let him plead guilty and to sentence him to death.

“I only wish the judge to sentence me to death so no one can feel responsible for another’s death, including mine,” Marco Allen Chapman wrote in a letter to Circuit Judge Tony Frohlich read in court in October.

Chapman, 32, is due back in court Tuesday, when a doctor is expected to testify about his mental state and whether he understands what a guilty plea and death sentence would mean.

Chapman confessed to killing Cody Sharon, 6, and his sister, Chelbi Sharon, 7, on Aug. 23, 2002, in their home. He also admitted to tying up and repeatedly stabbing their mother, Carolyn Marksberry. She recovered, as did her daughter Courtney, who also was stabbed but survived by playing dead.