Chop Suey Shooter Pleads Guilty to First Degree Murder, Prosecutors Recommending 30 Years

Carlos Bernardez, the man accused of the fatal January 2009 shooting at Chop Suey--one which resulted in Fatal Lucciauno's removal from a show at The Crocodile and generally shook up Seattle's hip-hop scene--has pleaded guilty to first degree murder. From the King County Prosecutor's office:

Carlos R. Bernardez pleaded guilty this morning to first degree murder with a firearm enhancement for the January 2009 shooting death of hip-hop performer Joseph Ryan at the Chop Suey nightclub in Seattle. Bernardez, 20, also pleaded guilty to two counts of second degree assault for wounding two others during the shooting. Sentencing is scheduled for August 13 at 2:45 p.m. before King County Superior Court Judge Timothy Bradshaw at the King County Courthouse, courtroom W-719. The sentence range is 28 to 36 years in prison. Prosecutors will recommend a 30-year sentence.

It's good to hear that justice has been done.