Stewart Weldon on Tuesday pleaded guilty to killing three women whose bodies were pulled from his Springfield home in 2018, ensuring he’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars and capping a legal saga that rocked his city.
Weldon, 44, wore a gray suit and a face covering in Hampden Superior Court, leaning forward and quietly telling the clerk, “I plead guilty, sir,” to dozens of counts, including three first-degree murder charges for the slayings of America Lyden, 34, and Ernestine Ryans, 47, both of Springfield, and Kayla Escalante, 27, of Ludlow, according to footage posted to the WWLP-TV website.
Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, according to legal filings. A spokesman for Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni on Wednesday confirmed Weldon’s guilty plea to the Globe and said Gulluni plans to address reporters about the case after Thursday’s sentencing hearing.
On Tuesday, Weldon also told the court, “I just want to close this case.” Each murder count carries a mandatory life term in prison.
The chilling case began with a traffic stop for a broken tail light.
Springfield police arrested him on May 27, 2018, for allegedly kidnapping and beating a woman, who was in his car when he was pulled over. Three days later, Weldon was in jail when officers were summoned to his green bungalow at 1333 Page Blvd. after his mother complained about a rancid smell at the property. Investigators found the bodies of Lyden, Ryans, and Escalante.
A Hampden County grand jury had indicted Weldon in 2018 on charges of murder, rape, and strangulation, alleging he attacked 11 victims in a one-man crime spree that began in the spring of 2017 and continued until officers pulled him over for the taillight.
Material from the Associated Press and prior Globe stories was used in this report.
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