Plea deal in Kingman murder case hashed out in courtroom hallway

KINGMAN, Ariz. — A Kingman man representing himself in a homicide case has agreed to plead guilty in a plea bargain struck during a hallway conversation with the prosecutor Monday morning.

Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen subsequently set a hearing next Monday to enter the agreement resolving the case against Richard Polaski short of trial.

Polaski previously told police he killed his friend John Holland, 65, in late June 2015 and buried the remains on one of Holland’s north Kingman residential properties. The remains were uncovered in August beneath a concrete pad in the backyard of the Lass Avenue home.

Terms of the plea deal were hashed out during the hallway discussion and were not immediately detailed in court. Prosecutor Jonathan Taylor told Polaski he would face a 10- to 18-year prison term for a second-degree murder conviction.

“I’ve been guilty since Day One,” Polaski said. He also told

Taylor he wanted it known that it was an act of self-defense when he stabbed Holland.

Polaski also offered information in other pending criminal cases in exchange for leniency consideration at sentencing. Taylor made no promises.

The Mohave County sheriff’s office continues to investigate Polaski’s claim that he and at least one accomplice engaged in fraudulent activity to gain power of attorney to take control of Holland’s assets, including residential property and a trust account.