LANSING, Mich. — A man accused of murdering two brothers pleaded guilty to two counts of second degree murder on Tuesday.
Zacharey Diederichs, 31, was accused of fatally shooting Marcus Jackson-Burton and Steven Jackson at a restaurant on Lansing’s Southside back on Aug. 3.
Diedrichs also pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a weapon by a felon. Under the terms of a plea deal proposed by Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon, Diederichs is expected to spend between 30 and 50 years behind bars.
The goal, Siemon said, was “to hold this person accountable and still offer a chance for rehabilitation.
"We don’t know if he can ever be rehabilitated," she said. "That’s not my question today, because I don’t know who he might be 40, 45 or 50 years from now.”
The victims’ family is not happy with the plea deal.
Marcus Jackson-Burton's mom, Miranda Burton-Hinton called it "very disappointing.”
“Right now, how I am feeling, Carol Siemon should retire because I am not the only family she has done this too,” she said.
She also said that, although Diederichs took something very important from their family, they’re focusing on forgiveness.
“Forgiveness is key,” Burton-Hinton said. “Our family forgives him for what he’s done, but he needs to do some soul searching and come forward and tell us why he did what he did."
Diederich’s sentencing is set for April 13.
