Peter Robbins, the man who was the original voice of the beloved Peanuts character "Charlie Brown," pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a murder-for-hire scheme in which he attempted to pay someone $50,000 to murder the San Diego County sheriff.
The scheme took place while Robbins was already jailed for violating his probation related to a 2013 case in which he pleaded guilty to stalking his ex-girlfriend and the plastic surgeon who had performed her breast-enhancement surgery. Robbins was jailed in February 2015 for the parole violations, which included removing a GPS bracelet and skipping court-ordered domestic violence classes.
According to prosecutors, Robbins, who was charged with four felony counts related to the murder-for-hire plot in September, didn't limit his threats to just Sheriff William Gore, but also included a judge and mobile home park manager. From NBC San Diego:
During a previous attempt at completing his sentencing hearing on June 5, Robbins had an angry, profanity-laden outburst in the courtroom, yelling at Judge O’Neill, “I hope you drop dead of a heart attack.”
He also screamed obscenities, tried to withdraw a guilty plea and told Judge O’Neill he wanted to fire his public defender. The judge stopped the proceedings, postponed the sentencing and granted Robbins’ attorneys a request that he be evaluated for mental competency.
Part of Robbin's outburst was caught on tape.
During Tuesday's hearing, Robbins claimed he has been diagnosed as bipolar and as a paranoid schizophrenic, and told the judge, "I want justice to be served, but I’m mentally ill. To stick me three years into a state prison is not benefitting the justice system. I feel I’m entitled to at least a second chance."
Robbins, who appeared in two of the most iconic "Peanuts" specials -- "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" -- will face a prison sentence of over four years when he's sentenced in December.