On three occasions, Funk yawned widely.

After months of denying he ever met Katrina Anne Froeschle, on Wednesday afternoon Funk admitted to her murder by submitting a written guilty plea.

In November, Froeschle's partially clothed, bludgeoned body was found floating in the Hillsborough River behind Funk's Sulphur Springs home. Authorities determined the murder weapon was a motorcycle muffler pipe.

The trial for the 27-year-old unemployed motorcycle mechanic was to begin Monday. Funk's guilty plea enabled him to sidestep the risk of execution. He received life in prison and, under Florida law, has no chance for parole.

Funk appeared ambivalent through most of Wednesday's proceedings. When Hillsborough Circuit Judge Denise Pomponio asked if he was satisfied with the plea, he said, ``Most definitely.''

Not once during the hearing did Funk say he killed Froeschle. Instead, he signed his name and submitted a plea form. Funk entered guilty pleas on charges of first-degree murder, attempted sexual battery, burglary of a car, manufacturing marijuana and tampering with evidence. He pleaded no contest to a charge of armed robbery.

After reading Funk's sentence, the judge allowed Froeschle's friends and family to speak about the young woman they lost. As they spoke, several court staff members and the judge became teary.

Amy Roderick, Froeschle's co-worker and best friend, described Froeschle's laughter, her hard work and her ambition to return to school to become a veterinarian.

Froeschle's mother, Leonore, described her own difficult childhood, marked by abuse, and said she vowed a better life for her children.

``When I was pregnant with Katie, I decided I would never raise her the way I was raised,'' she said. ``The result was well worth it.''

Froeschle's 17-year-old brother, Samuel, described nights he and his sister stayed awake talking for hours. Now, he said, his nights are sleepless and he has no one to speak with about his grief.

Froeschle's father, Jeffrey, said his daughter went to college on a Bright Futures Scholarship. He described her good study habits, her hard work and her love of people. He described her funeral, where more than 700 people showed up at a church that seated 250.

Family friend Mark Atkins was the only speaker to address Funk directly.

``We need the Katie Froeschles to walk free in this world,'' he said angrily, looking toward Funk. ``Thank God we have law enforcement to put these cowards behind bars for the rest of their lives.''

After the hearing, Jeffrey Froeschle said he first heard about the plea deal Tuesday evening.

``The important thing we wanted is for the person who murdered our daughter to be off the streets,'' he said. ``We didn't see any additional gain to having him executed.''

In several hours of hearings last month and again in several hours of hearings Tuesday afternoon, Funk's attorneys tried to suppress the mass of evidence against him. Those efforts were unsuccessful.

DNA tests matched blood on Funk's shoes to Froeschle. Blood on the walls, ceiling and carpet in Funk's house likewise matched Froeschle's. Funk's fingerprints were found in Froeschle's car. A witness told police he saw a man fitting Funk's description leave Froeschle's car in a parking lot about a mile from Funk's home.

When Froeschle died, she was doing her job.

Shortly before noon Nov. 12, Froeschle used her cell phone to call the Farm Bureau Insurance office. She said she couldn't find the house, at 1503 E. Mulberry Drive, where she was to inspect the roof for hurricane damage.

The owner had called for the inspection. Funk and his girlfriend had moved in weeks earlier.

Froeschle told her friend she found the home and a man inside was walking toward her. No one heard from her again.

Hours later, after she missed a date with friends, Froeschle's family reported her missing.

No motive was found.

Froeschle's father said he wasn't surprised Funk hasn't uttered a confession.

``I never expected him to ever tell me that he did the crime,'' Jeffrey Froeschle said.

Still, he said, the guilty plea was enough for the family to move on.

``We're now going to have to learn to live without her,'' he said.

Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698.

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	Jason Funk