Steven Hobbs, who is the longest current serving Harris County inmate, pleaded guilty Monday before jurors could be chosen and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.
The 51-year-old would be 101 before he can be eligible for parole.
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Hobbs' decision marks a patient but excruciating wait for closure, especially for the families of Sarah Sanford and Patricia Pyatt, whose loved ones were victimized about eight years apart from each other, between 2002 and 2010.
Hobbs was arrested in 2011 following a similarly drawn out but successful investigation. It was at that time that he was first labeled a serial killer.
"Steven Hobbs has been a predator. He has been a predator for at least a decade. So now, we're looking at everything just to see if he fits," said then-Harris County Sheriff's Homicide Unit Lt. Rolf Nelson 11 years ago.
On top of that, Hobbs is a suspect in Wanda Trombley's murder in 2011 and several more rape and aggravated assault charges. Trombley's killing is significant as investigators found her body had parts missing, most important her hyoid bone, which would signify strangulation, prosecutors say.
So, why did families wait more than a decade for an outcome? Prosecutors pointed at multiple factors, including an election-driven change on the bench, Hurricane Harvey flood damage to the courthouse, and the pandemic.
But after years of waiting, almost entirely in solitude, Hobbs, prosecutors believe, didn't want to wait any longer.
"After 11 years, he was going to face the reality that he was going to have to listen to it all again, and he chose instead to take a plea deal," said Jennifer Meriwether, Harris County assistant district attorney.
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