Guilty Plea Entered At Start Of Trial In Cop Killing

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As the trial for accused cop killer Rasheed Scruggs was about to get underway Thursday, the defendant shocked the courtroom and pleaded guilty to first degree murder.

Rasheed Scruggs pled guilty to killing Philadelphia Police Officer John Pawlowski.

With the officers' widow, family and many officers packing the courtroom, Scruggs said he's guilty of first degree murder, and he's "sorry."

As the judge questioned him about the decision to plead guilty, Scruggs said he has no defense.

Pawlowski, 25, was gunned down in February of last year as he and his partner responded to a report of a man with a weapon at Broad and Olney. Scruggs fired through his coat from a gun in his pocket and continued firing until he was shot by other officers and arrested at the scene.

The prosecution was seeking a first degree murder conviction and the death penalty for Scruggs.

The case is now in the penalty phase and a jury will decide if Scruggs should be sentenced to death, or life behind bars.

Reported by Tony Hanson, KYW Newsradio