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U.S. Army sergeant pleads guilty to murder of 11-year-old girl

Staff Sgt. Frank J. Ronghi

WUERZBURG, Germany (CNN) -- A U.S. Army sergeant pleaded guilty Friday to premeditated murder, sodomy and committing indecent acts with a minor, military sources said.

Staff Sgt. Frank J. Ronghi offered his plea in a U.S. military court here concerning the death early this year of Merita Shabiu, 11, an ethnic Albanian. He made it as part of a plea bargain under which he would escape the death penalty, the sources said.

In exchange for Ronghi's guilty plea, the Army dropped two additional charges of rape and felony murder.

Sentencing was scheduled for Monday afternoon, local time. Ronghi, of the 82nd Airborne posted to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, faces a sentence of life in prison.

Shabiu was found dead January 11 near Vitina, in southwestern Kosovo. Ronghi was charged with killing her two days later.

VIDEO CNN's Chris Burns provides details on the hearing to determine if Staff Sgt. Frank J. Ronghi should be court-martialed in the death of an 11-year-old ethnic Albanian girl in Kosovo. (Feb. 18) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

In February, 11 witnesses, including soldiers from Ronghi's own unit, testified at a hearing.

A sergeant told the court that a soldier under his command reported that he helped Ronghi bury the girl. The soldier said he aided Ronghi out of fear.

The soldier led others along a trail of blood to the site where the girl's body was found.

Ronghi had originally told colleagues that he had found the girl's body in an apartment building basement and buried her because he was afraid, a witness testified.

CNN Producer Alex Quade contributed to this report.

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