Overwhelming evidence – including a videotaped conversation about the details of the crime – resulted in guilty pleas Monday in the case of a Bowling Green man who was beaten to death with a baseball bat.

Christopher Lee Hackworth, 24, and Tonya Renee Ray, 22, both of 1132 Fairview Ave., Apt. I-7, pleaded guilty Monday to murder and murder by complicity, respectively, in Warren Circuit Judge Steve Wilson’s court. Each also pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary.

For their roles in the beating death of Lee Ford Johnson, 38, on July 16, 2006, at his apartment at 1329 Kenilwood Way, both accepted plea deals with a sentence of life in prison with possibility of parole after 20 years, said Chris Cohron, commonwealth’s attorney for Warren County. Hackworth and Ray could have received stiffer penalties if the case had continued to trial and they were convicted.

Bowling Green Police Department detectives progressed very quickly in the case and caught Ray in a couple of lies, Cohron said.

Ray initially told police that an unknown man beat Johnson and then forced her to drive him to a trailer park. She later told police that Hackworth was an ex-boyfriend who had jumped out from behind bushes to attack Johnson, according to a police report.

In reality, Hackworth and Ray attacked Johnson with a baseball bat in an attempt to rob him, Cohron said. After the assault, they entered Johnson’s apartment and stole a small amount of cash and a few other items.

&#8220It was so important that the entire detectives’ division worked on this case,” he said. &#8220Within the first 12 hours, they had all the information.”

One important piece of evidence was gained after detectives had finished interviewing Hackworth, Cohron said.

Ray and Hackworth were placed in adjacent interview rooms, and the two realized they could hear each other through the vents, Cohron said. And while cameras were still running – detectives were waiting on word from crime scene processors – Hackworth and Ray began talking to each other through the vent.

&#8220They had a lengthy discussion about the murder that had just occurred,” he said. &#8220It was one of the most damning pieces of evidence in this case.”

Hackworth entered his guilty plea first, quietly answering &#8220yes” to each of Wilson’s questions – including whether he’d testify against Ray, Cohron said.

Ray initially rejected the plea when she entered court Monday, but was encouraged to give it further thought.

&#8220I want to make you aware that your co-defendant in this case has just pleaded guilty,” Wilson said. &#8220I’m not here to try and get you to plead guilty or not guilty, but I want you to be fully informed.”

Wilson asked Ray’s attorney, Leslie Rudloff, if she had made a recommendation; Rudloff said she’d advised her client to accept the plea deal.

&#8220While your attorney’s advice is important, in the end it’s you who has to do the time,” Wilson said.

After being given more than an hour to think about the offer, and after speaking with her family, Ray changed her mind and pleaded guilty.

&#8220I consulted with my family, and I think that this is the best thing,” Ray said.

The sentence was a good result, Cohron said, since a trial could have gone either way, and any sentence might not have been much longer.

&#8220The reality is they’ll probably spend more time in prison than 20 years,” he said. &#8220The chance at parole is no guarantee.”

Johnson’s family didn’t want to settle for anything less than a life sentence, Cohron said.

&#8220In a case like this it was important to respect their wishes,” he said. &#8220They look forward to final sentencing for some closure.”

Rudloff said the guilty plea was the best possible result for Ray, and James Rhorer, a public defender representing Hackworth, said the evidence against his client was overwhelming.

Final sentencing for both is scheduled for Nov. 5.