BARRE, Vt. -
Update: Derek Seber, 23, of Gaithersburg, Md., looked much different Thursday from the last time he appeared in a Barre, Vermont courthouse.
Last October, dressed in a hospital gown, Seber couldn't keep his emotions together.
That was just days after prosecutors say he drove drunk with seven others and smashed his car into a tree, killing Renee Robbins.
Thursday, he didn't flinch as he admitted to doing so.
"What is your plea," said Judge VanBenthuysen?
"Guilty your honor," said Seber.
As part of the plea deal he admitted to DUI with death resulting, he pleaded no contest to leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
And a third felony charge was dropped.
If the judge accepts the deal Seber will go from facing 45 years to just 2.5.
News that didn't sit well with Robbins family who sat in the courtroom wearing ribbons made of her favorite color, purple.
"It's just not enough time," said Mark Robbins.
Robbins father, Mark, says he asked Washington County State's Attorney Tom Kelly for at least four years.
"I know exactly what 4 years is for and what it means to an individual that is 22, 23 years old. It's a substantial part of his life but it's not the ending portion of his life," said Robbins.
Robbins says he feels for Seber's family, and understands that any resolution is not going to be easy for anyone.
"This is not about being equal, it's about being held responsible for your actions," said Robbins.
Kelly says until the judge makes a decision on whether to accept the plea deal next month, he can't comment.
If the judge rejects this plea deal the case would then go to trial.
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Norwich University student, Derek Seber, who originally pleaded not guilty, changed his plea Thursday morning.
Seber pleaded guilty to drunk driving resulting in death, no contest to leaving the scene of a crash and prosecutors dropped the charge of vehicle gross negligence.
FOX 44 and ABC 22 reporter Nick Natario reports if the judge accepts the offer of a 5-12 year deal, the sentence will be reduced to 2.5 years. The judge will make a decision in 4-6 weeks.
Police said back in October that 22-year-old Seber was driving away from a party in Northfield, Vt. His 5 passenger car was packed with 8 people. No one was wearing a seat belt.
Seber, who had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, crashed into a ditch. His car was crushed on one side.
Police said Renee Robins, 18, of Kentwood, Mich., who was sitting on someone's lap in the front seat was killed almost instantly.
