Two 17-year-old Redmond girls pleaded guilty on Thursday in Deschutes County Circuit Court to helping a son murder his mother, cementing a plea deal to spend a mandatory 25 years in prison rather than life.

Lucretia Karle and Ashley Summers admitted they plotted with Adam Thomas, 20, of Redmond, and two other Redmond friends to ambush and kill Thomas’ mother when she returned home from work on March 26, 2001.

A sheriff’s deputy found the body of 52-year-old Barbara Thomas, a widow, beaten and shot in the head in her home at about 7:45 p.m. the same day.

In separate court hearings on Thursday, Karle and Summers each pleaded guilty to five counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated murder, one count of kidnapping, three counts of first-degree robbery and three counts of first-degree burglary.

Both young women wore white blouses with jeans and had their ankles and wrists shackled. They spoke clearly with no signs of nervousness, answering Circuit Court Judge Stephen Tiktin’s questions with ”Yes, sir.”

The parents of the girls and relatives of the murdered woman sat in the courtroom.

Tiktin asked each girl if she wanted him ”to accept these guilty pleas here today.”

Both responded, ”Yes, sir.”

After the hearing Karle’s attorney, Terry Rahmsdorff, said 25 years in prison was not a ”good offer” from the District Attorney’s Office, but that they decided to take it rather than risk Karle going to prison for life.

Attorney Roger DeHoog, defending Summers, who appeared after Karle, also accepted the prosecutor’s deal.

Prosecuting the cases are Darryl Nakahira, chief deputy district attorney, and Kandy Gies, a deputy district attorney.

The murdered woman’s sister-in-law, Linda Jones, said she was glad to see the two cases settled, saving her and other family members the pain of having to sit through two long trials.

”I’m satisfied with 25 years, but I would have liked to have seen them get more,” Jones said.

”What’s not fair is Ashley gets to see her dad every day (in jail). I haven’t seen Barbara in two years.”

Summers and Karle will be 41 and 42, respectively, when they are released from prison.

In exchange for their pleas, the Deschutes County district attorney’s office agreed to dismiss 12 other felony counts, including charges of aggravated murder which carries a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 30 years.

Adam Thomas, 20, and Seth Koch, 17, pleaded guilty to beating Thomas’ mother with wine bottles before Koch shot her in the head with a high-powered rifle. No sentencing dates have been set for them. They both face life sentences.

Summers and Karle remained in the bedroom and could see and hear the killing being carried out, according to statements they made to police.

A fifth person, Justin Link, 19, is also accused of aiding and abetting in the murder with the other youths.

He is awaiting his trial, which is set to begin in March, said Deschutes County District Attorney Mike Dugan.

In their plea agreements, Karle and Summers said they planned with Koch, Thomas and Link to use bottles to knock Barbara Thomas unconscious and then kill her so they could take her car.

They also said they planned with Koch and Thomas to electrocute Barbara Thomas.

Police found a bathtub full of water and a radio plugged into an orange extension cord in the bathroom of Barbara Thomas’ house on the Old Bend-Redmond Highway, north of Bend.

The women also said one reason for killing Adam’s mother was to keep her from reporting crimes of theft, criminal mischief, assault and robbery.

The teens tore up the Thomas home, and stole jewelry and money prior to Barbara Thomas’ arrival, according to police reports.

The teens ransacked the house, in part, looking for Koch’s keys to his parent’s Cadillac, which they intended to take to Canada, according to court documents filed by the district attorney’s office.

When they were unable to locate the Cadillac keys, they plotted and carried out the death of Adam’s mother so they could steal her Honda and drive to Canada, the document states.

Canadian authorities arrested the teens near Bellingham, Wash., when they crossed into Canada in Barbara Thomas’ Honda.

Tom Peterson can be reached at 541-383-0304 or tpeterson@bendbulletin.com.