Wash. soldier pleads guilty to murder, rape

A soldier has pleaded guilty to charges that he fatally stabbed his wife and raped her teenage daughter after she witnessed the attack.

The News Tribune newspaper of Tacoma reports ( http://is.gd/hC2AfS) that Staff Sgt. Robert S. Chiaravallotti could face a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison if the military judge at Joint Base Lewis-McChord accepts the plea.

The 41-year-old is charged with murder, rape of a child and assault of a child stemming from the attack on base last Aug. 25. He told the judge Thursday he intended to kill his wife, Dionne Chiaravallotti, and his 14-year-old stepdaughter, but instead raped the girl after she saw him kill her mother last Aug. 25.

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Information from: The News Tribune, http://www.thenewstribune.com

The Associated Press