GALLIPOLIS — One of two suspects in the Jan. 13 slaying of Gallipolis resident Ralph N. Sands has pled guilty in Gallia County Common Pleas Court.

Joshua D. Saunders Jr., 25, 381 Buck Ridge Road, Apartment 87, Bidwell, represented by Defense Attorney Doug Cowles, pled guilty to a twice-amended charge of murder before Common Pleas Court Judge D. Dean Evans on Wednesday morning.

Saunders and co-defendant Douglas R. Blake, 27, 117 Fourth Ave., Gallipolis, were each charged with murder, aggravated burglary, abduction and receiving stolen property just over a month after Sands’ body was discovered in his Fourth Avenue home on Jan. 14.

He was reportedly found face down on his couch with his hands tied behind his back by a neighbor who noticed that his door was ajar.

Initially, the charge of murder read that Saunders and Blake did purposely cause Sands’ death as a proximate result of committing or attempting to commit aggravated burglary. It was then amended to read that the two men recklessly caused his death before being amended a final time, in Saunders’ case, to read that he did cause the death of Sands as a proximate result of committing or attempting to commit aggravated burglary.

Gallia County Coroner Dr. Daniel H. Whiteley said that according to the death certificate, Sands’ death was caused by asphyxiation. Apparently, he had chronic obstructive lung disease, which is basically considered to be any disorder that persistently obstructs bronchial air flow and is often related to chronic bronchitis and emphysema. When Sands ended up on his stomach on the couch, he couldn’t get enough oxygen and it caused his death.

Pursuant to Saunders’ guilty plea, all other counts of his indictment were dismissed.

His jury trial had been scheduled for Wednesday, but was continued on Aug. 19 after “significant damming discovery” was provided by the state, although the deadline for filing any written negotiated plea agreement had passed.

The record of proceedings in the state’s case against Blake have been sealed by the court since Aug. 13, according to Gallia County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Eric Mulford. He said this was necessary to protect the integrity of the proceedings against Saunders and that he could not elaborate until the court unseals the record.

Mulford said staff from Gallia County Prosecutor Jeff Adkins’ office and a representative of the Gallipolis Police Department met with Sands’ children prior to Wednesday’s hearing and explained the facts of the case to them. A dozen or so members of Sands’ family were present in court during Saunders’ plea change. Emotions ran high during and after the hearing; several members of Saunders’ family were also present.

In court, Evans asked Saunders if he was guilty, to which he replied, “Yes, sir.”

Evans asked Saunders to tell him what happened and Saunders simply said, “I did it.”

“You did it?” Evans asked.

“I tied him up. I guess he died,” Saunders replied.

“While you were committing or attempting to commit aggravated burglary?” Evans asked.

“Yes, sir,” Saunders said.

Evans then accepted and filed his plea of guilty and continued the matter for sentencing. The charge of murder is punishable by an indefinite sentence of 15 years to life in prison as it is an unclassified felony.

Following the hearing, Adkins said that Mulford, Detective Sgt. Jeff Boyer of the GPD, and Whiteley worked together to present the case to the grand jury, ultimately bringing about a successful conclusion to this prosecution.

Adkins added that Sands’ son, Justin Sands, was especially helpful in identifying property that was stolen from his father’s home, which assisted in initially solving the crime. Five guns were stolen; a Romanian AK47, a .20 gauge double barrel shotgun, a Remington Wingmaster 870 12 gauge pump action, a Mossberg Maverick 12 gauge pump action, and a Remington 870 12 gauge pump action, according to the indictments.

Mulford expressed his appreciation to Boyer, who led the investigation, as well as Justin Sands, Whiteley, Chief Probation Officer Mike Smith and Probation Officer Robbie Harrison of Gallipolis Municipal Court, GPD officers Mike Fulks and Justin Rice, Detective Chad Wallace of the Gallia County Sheriff’s Office, and Sgt. Dan Day of the Rio Grande Police Department, as they each played a role in assisting the investigation.

“The high quality of the investigation and the strength of the case against Saunders is what we’ve come to expect from the city police, and the hard work of Detective Boyer is evident in the case that was submitted to this office,” Mulford said.

He added that after the case against Blake is concluded, the prosecutor’s office expects to release additional details regarding this matter.