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Jaycee Dugard's Accused Captors Confess; Plea Deal Sought

The California couple accused of kidnapping Jaycee Dugard and holding her captive for 18 years have made a full confession, according to an attorney in the case. Prosecutors and the defense have reportedly been seeking a way to avoid a trial, and the confessions are likely to become part of a plea deal.

As we reported in 2009, when Dugard was discovered, she had given birth to two children while in captivity, who were ages 11 and 5 when they were found.

Here's a report for Newscast by Ina Jaffe:

The report of the confessions came from the defense attorney for Nancy Garrido. She and her husband Phillip Garrido were arrested in 2009 and accused of snatching 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard off of a South Lake Tahoe street and holding her captive in a hidden warren of shacks in their backyard.

During that time, Dugard gave birth to two daughters, fathered by Phillip Garrido. According to defense attorney Stephen Tapson, the couple acknowledged kidnapping Dugard and answered dozens of questions about the years they held her and her two daughters captive.

Tapson said they're still working on a plea deal. Prosecutors have proposed sentencing Phillip Garrido to 440 years in prison and Nancy Garrido to 241 years.

Last summer, the state of California approved a $20 million fund to help provide what was then called " a lifetime of therapy and education" for Dugard and her daughters.

Since being released, Dugard has mostly sought to live her life outside the public eye.

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Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.