Admitted Guerneville strangler can't withdraw plea agreement

<p>A British expatriate facing more than 32 years in prison for a 2009 Guerneville strangulation will not be allowed to withdraw his plea agreement, a judge ruled Wednesday. </p><p>Judge Arthur Wick also found Andrew Sharkey, 38, received adequate legal counsel from his Sebastopol attorney, Geoffrey Dunham. </p><p>The decisions removed the last barrier to a Feb. 24 sentencing for Sharkey, who killed Michael Tillman, 67. Prosecutors said he strangled the elderly man with a metal wire while stealing $45,000 in cash from his home. </p><p>Sharkey postponed a January sentencing by questioning the effectiveness of his legal counsel.</p><p>He argued Dunham failed to investigate his claims that a co-defendant did the actual killing. In addition, he said the lawyer urged him to accept a plea bargain to avoid a jury conviction, which could have sent him to prison for life without parole.</p><p>But after a closed-door hearing, the judge ruled Sharkey's attorney was competent. And Wick said it appeared Sharkey knew what he was doing when he took the deal. </p><p>Sharkey raised other issues Wednesday. He said he was promised a transfer to a British prison where he could be near an ailing relative. Prosecutors opposed the move and Wick said there was no authority for such a promise. </p><p>According to his plea agreement, Sharkey will serve his sentence in California and be deported upon his release. He'll be about 70 years old at the time.</p>