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Heinrich to hear 20-year sentence Monday

Danny Heinrich plans to publicly say he's sorry for murdering Jacob Wetterling and sexually assaulting Jared Scheierl, according to a sentencing document filed by Heinrich's attorney on Thursday.

MINNEAPOLIS - Danny Heinrich plans to publicly say he's sorry for murdering Jacob Wetterling and sexually assaulting Jared Scheierl, according to a sentencing document filed by Heinrich's attorney on Thursday.

Heinrich kidnapped Wetterling at gunpoint as he and his brother, Trevor, and best friend, Aaron Larson, were biking home from a convenience store in St. Joseph on October 22, 1989.

Earlier in the year, Heinrich kidnapped Scheierl in Cold Springs, Minn. He will be sentenced on Monday.

As part of a plea deal on federal porn child porn charges, Heinrich led investigators to Jacob's remains in Paynesville in late August of this year.

According to the court document, the attorney said Heinrich hopes to convey "how sorry he feels for the terrible crimes he has committed" when Heinrich is sentenced Monday in federal court on child porn charges. "Danny Heinrich's crimes against Jacob Wetterling and Jared Scheierl have defined his life," the sentencing document states.

Heinrich claims he never touched another child in the 27 years since he murdered Jacob. Since then, Heinrich's attorney said Heinrich "struggled with the secret of what he had done every day and he thought about the Wetterlings often. He was haunted by the secret, but at the same time terrified about what would happen to him and his family if he confessed."

The document continues, "he (Heinrich) tried to think of a way that he could reveal to the Wetterlings Jacob's location without incriminating himself. The problem was that Jacob was buried in Paynesville, the town where he lived. Since he had been a suspect in the case he knew the location itself would be incriminating."

The document also revealed Heinrich said he was sexually assaulted as a young man and that he had a rough time growing up. He wondered if a head injury he received as a child may have affected his behavior.

Heinrich doesn't expect anyone to feel sympathy for him, "nor should they. He killed an innocent little boy," according to the sentencing document.

LINK: Danny Heinrich's sentencing position documents

Patty and Jerry Wetterling's response to Heinrich:

We appreciate the Defendant’s Sentencing Position statement released regarding Danny Heinrich. It was well written and thoughtful. This is the first our family has heard of Heinrich struggling. I wrote a letter To the Abductor of Jacob Wetterling that was sent to media outlets everywhere in February of 1999 begging for answers. I even addressed some of the same possibilities as mentioned in his Attorney’s position paper.

“I have found some comfort picturing you not as a mean old ugly bad guy but at one time, YOU were an eleven year old boy. Someone’s son…possibly someone’s brother needing and hopefully sharing the love an 11-year-old boy deserves. If this love wasn’t shared in your family, I’m sorry. Every child is entitled to the love and caring that family and friends provide.”

All I was asking for was a call. I ended with “You have held the answers for so long. You also hold the pain. Please talk to me.”

This letter was broadly distributed. It is doubtful in my mind that he never saw it but no call came.

I never treated this person as less than a human being but he is a man not just with human failings but a man who made horrible choices.

He may have had a rough childhood. For that I am sorry.

Most victims of sexual assault do not grow up to sexually assault others.

Most victims with head injuries don’t commit sexual offenses. Most people who commit sexual offenses are not “born that way.” He made choices. Really bad choices.

To state that he never had any intention to commit this heinous crime is ludicrous. He stated he went out hunting that night for boys. He brought a gun this time AND he brought bullets. He could have used the gun to scare the boys but he brought bullets.

I believe his struggle with the secret was really his struggle with the fear of being caught. He may have “shed countless tears” but not one tear was shed when he stood in the courtroom telling us what he did to Jacob.

I am glad to hear he feels remorse. The only way he can know the magnitude of the pain he has caused is to allow himself to feel for someone other than himself. I hope he feels that every day just as we have had to feel the loss and the pain of losing Jacob every moment of every day.

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