Steven Pratt will be sentenced to 25 years in prison after admitting he killed his mother just days after he was released from prison.
MAYS LANDING — An Atlantic City man pleaded guilty today to killing his mother just days after he was released from a 30-year prison sentence, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.
Steven Pratt Steven Pratt admitted in court that he bludgeoned his mother Gwendolyn Pratt, 64, in 2014.
He is expected to be sentenced to 25 years in prison in accordance with a negotiated plea agreement.
Police found Gwendolyn Pratt dead in her home on Oct. 12, 2014. Her son was also found at the scene.
He had been released from Bayside State Prison two days beforehand after serving 30 years for beating his neighbor Michael Anderson with a lead pipe and shooting him to death in 1984. Although a teenager at the time, Pratt was tried as an adult in the case.
Gwendolyn Pratt's murder took place shortly after a welcome home party was held for Steven Pratt.
Pratt told a judge he did not want a trial in an arraignment hearing the day after his mother's body was found, saying, "It doesn't matter."
Under the No Early Release Act, Pratt must serve 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.