Capping a day of tense, behind-the-scenes drama, the U.S. Justice Department abandoned its bid to put the Montana hermit to death in a plea arrangement.
Kaczynski, answering ``Yes, your honor,'' to a script of questions from U.S. District Judge Garland Burrell Jr., confessed to his alter ego of the Unabomber. Sitting just a few feet away were some of his victims and the family of slain Sacramento timber lobbyist Gilbert Murray, as well as Kaczynski's mother and brother David, who first turned him in to the FBI nearly two years ago.
Under the plea agreement:
* Kaczynski pleaded guilty to the two separate federal indictments filed against him in Sacramento and New Jersey, resulting in a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Kaczynski, while acknowledging differences with his defense attorneys, returned to court later in the day to accept the terms of the unconditional plea arrangement.
* Kaczynski dropped earlier requests to preserve the right to appeal the legality of the search of his Montana shack at the time he was arrested in April 1996.
* He also agreed to relinquish any money he might earn in the future from books or interviews to pay restitution to the victims' families.
The plea deal, which has been in the works for some time, comes on the heels of weeks of tumultuous legal wrangling over Kaczynski's representation that tossed the trial into chaos. In addition, it comes less than a week after a federal prison psychiatrist confirmed the defense's long-held assertion that Kaczynski is a paranoid schizophrenic.
Even though the report found Kaczynski competent to stand trial and represent himself, it provided further impetus for the government to accept a plea deal, beyond the legal problems plaguing the case.
At the outset of the court session Thursday, Burrell set the final wheels of a plea arrangement in motion by finally resolving the legal riddle surrounding Kaczynski's representation, refusing to allow him to act as his own lawyer.
Kaczynski has been in a bitter struggle with his defense team of Quin Denvir and Judy Clarke over their intention to blame his bombing campaign on mental illness.
By refusing to allow Kaczynski to represent himself, the judge took a legal risk because defendants enjoy a broad constitutional right to act as their own attorney.
The elusive Unabomber, who triggered the most expensive - $50 million - manhunt in U.S. history is believed responsible for killing three and injuring 29.