PICKENS, S.C. -- A convicted sex offender pleaded guilty to strangling a Clemson University student two years ago, leaving her body with her bikini top still wrapped around her neck.

And in an odd turn of events, for a brief time Tuesday afternoon, it looked like his plea might be withdrawn moments after it was entered.

Jerry Buck Inman, 37, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting and strangling Tiffany Marie Souers in her off-campus apartment in Central in May 2006. Souers was a 20-year-old engineering student at Clemson.

During Tuesday's hearing, psychiatrist Donna Schwartz-Watts took the stand and said that Inman is competent and knows what he is doing. She said he wanted to plead guilty from the very beginning, and that he wanted the death penalty.

Schwartz-Watts said that she has been meeting with Inman regularly since September 2006. She said that he does suffer from depression but that has no bearing on his desire to plead guilty. She also said that Inman suffers from a sexual disorder.

Circuit Court Judge Ned Miller advised Inman of all the charges against him and said that because of the seriousness of the crimes, the penalty would be life in prison with no chance of parole.

Inman pleaded guilty to each of four charges just before 3 p.m. Tuesday. The judge advised Inman that if he entered the guilty plea and it was accepted, he was giving up the right to seek a jury trial.

Miller also said that every person in this country charged with a crime has the right to a trial by an impartial jury with an adequate defense, and he reiterated that by entering a guilty plea, Inman was giving up his rights.

The judge asked Inman if he was totally and completely satisfied with his attorneys, and Inman said he was satisfied and had no complaints about his attorneys.

Immediately after the guilty pleas, the prosecution began a detailed accounting of Souer's murder as part of the sentencing phase.

Inman's attorney then took issue with the judge saying that his acceptance of Inman's guilty plea eliminated his right to future appeals.

At that point, Miller said since there was question over preserving Inman's right to appeal, Inman might want to withdraw his guilty plea. Inman turned to his attorney, and after an inaudible comment between them, the judge called for a 15 minute recess.

After the recess, Miller said he wanted to be sure that the entry of the plea was not predicated on any future hopes to take the case to an appellate court. He reiterated that Inman's potential to succeed in a higher court on some issue that might be raised should not be what was encouraging him to enter the guilty plea.

Inman said again that he wanted to plead guilty.

After review of the issues once again with Inman and being assured that he understood what he was doing by entering a guilty plea, Miller agreed to accept the guilty plea.

Live Coverage Raises Questions

After Miller accepted the plea, Inman's attorney raised concern that the early activities in the courtroom were livestreamed over the Internet and that he wanted those issues addressed by the court.

Miller said that there was the posibility that the livestream could have been listened to by the Thirteenth Solicitor Bob Ariail's Office, and if that was the case, whatever they might have heard could not be discussed.

Inman's attorney Jim Bannister said that he was not willing to fully accept that suggestion as a solution.

Miller said that the media outlets had been previously instructed not to cover any time other than when the court was actually in session and he suggested that all media outlets review that policy.

Inman Faces Other Charges

Inman spent about 18 years in prison in North Carolina and Florida for rapes committed in those states as a teenager.

He was free for about nine months before his June 2006 arrest. He also faces charges in the attempted rape of a 24-year-old woman in Rainsville, Ala., and in the rape of a 28-year-old woman in Sevierville, Tenn..

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Complete Timeline With Background Articles: Tiffany Souers' Death, Investigation, Arrest

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