Skinhead Changes Plea to Guilty in 1998 Slaying of Ventura Teen

Just four days into his trial, skinhead Michael Bridgeford abruptly halted the proceedings Friday and against the advice of his attorney pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the October 1998 slaying of a teenage Ventura girl.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, Bridgeford, 26, a gang member who admitted to authorities that he held the girl while a fellow skinhead slit her throat, must serve 58 years in state prison before he is eligible for parole.

Bridgeford agreed to accept the lengthy sentence in exchange for prosecutors dropping two special circumstance allegations that if proved at trial would have mandated a life prison term without possibility of parole. He also admitted to a gang allegation and agreed to waive his right to appeal.

Bridgeford offered no explanation for his sudden plea change, but prosecutors speculated that after two days of testimony he might have realized the strength of the case against him.

“He knew he was going to be convicted,” said Ventura County Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Bill Haney, who urged his bosses to accept Bridgeford’s plea in light of charges pending against two co-defendants.

“This case will be tried several more times on the same set of facts and for the sake of preserving our evidence, it was a very wise tactical move on the part of our office to let him plead to what is essentially a life sentence,” Haney said.

The plea agreement does not require Bridgeford to testify against co-defendants David Ziesmer and Bridget Callahan, though he could be called as a witness, Haney said.

The prosecutor said he first became aware of Bridgeford’s interest in pleading guilty during a break in testimony Thursday.

Superior Court Judge Vincent J. O’Neill Jr. closed the courtroom and persuaded Bridgeford to sleep on the idea before making a decision. The defendant returned to court Friday morning and signed a plea agreement.

Neither Bridgeford nor defense attorney Steve Powell were present when jurors filed back into court a short time later to learn the trial was over.

O’Neill explained that the penalty for first-degree murder is 25 years to life in prison, which in Bridgeford’s case will be doubled because he has a prior felony conviction for assault with a deadly weapon. Eight years will be added because the crime was gang-related and a serious felony.

After the judge excused the jury, Haney embraced Shelly Holland, the mother of slain teenager Nichole Hendrix.

Holland later said she was grateful that Bridgeford cut short the trial, but believes he earned the equivalent of a life sentence for participating in the slaying of her 17-year-old daughter.

“To me, he got what he deserves. He deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison,” she said.

Powell declined to comment on his client’s decision to plead guilty. Sentencing is set for May 17.

Bridgeford is one of six defendants indicted three years ago in connection with the slaying of Hendrix. Three pleaded guilty to criminal charges for their roles in covering up the crime, and two others, Ziesmer, 30, and Callahan, 31, are awaiting trial on murder charges.

Prosecutors allege that Ziesmer, Callahan and Bridgeford kidnapped Hendrix on Oct. 15, 1998, while she was under the influence of drugs and took her to a downtown Ventura motel, where they sold stolen property in her possession.

As the night wore on, Ziesmer, a skinhead recently paroled from state prison, decided to kill Hendrix because he feared she would report them to police, Bridgeford later told authorities. He said Ziesmer grabbed Hendrix, pulled her into the motel bathroom and began stabbing her with a pocketknife.

Bridgeford admitted that he held Hendrix because he feared her cries would awaken motel guests and because he was loyal to his fellow skinhead.

Haney said prosecutors were not surprised by Bridgeford’s plea change. He had assisted law enforcement with the homicide investigation and expressed remorse in his interview and in a letter of apology to Holland.

Haney said prosecutors would try to arrange protective housing for Bridgeford, who could be targeted by prison inmates because of his role in the investigation.

“We have not been asked to provide him protective custody, but because of everything that happened during the investigation, we will do our best to make sure the Department of Corrections is apprised of his security concerns, which are substantial,” he said.