'I just lost control': Sex offender charged with rape and murder of Indiana teen confesses to 'terrible crimes' and describes in detail girl's last tragic moments as he choked her



Richard Hooten, 49, was charged on Wednesday with strangling to death Tara Willenborg, 17, as he raped her in her Clarksville, Indiana, apartment early Saturday morning

On Thursday he confessed to the 'terrible crimes' and gave reporters a detailed account of how he killed her

Family said their 'hearts are broken' but they are 'relieved' Hooten is jailed

A convicted sex offender has confessed to the rape and murder of his 17-year-old neighbor, telling reporters he 'lost control' and would 'take it back' if he could in a shockingly honest press conference.



Richard Hooten, 49, was charged on Wednesday with strangling to death Tara Willenborg as he raped her in her Clarksville, Indiana, apartment early Saturday morning.

'I just lost it in my head. I just lost control,' Hooten said on Thursday in front of scores of reporters at Clark County Sheriff's Office.

Wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, the man calmly described the events that led up to Willenborg's death.

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Confession: Richard Hooten, 49, pictured, confessed on Thursday to the 'terrible crimes'

'I left Rodeos, with my friends and my girlfriend and I came back and (Willenborg) was sitting on the steps,' he said. 'I went in my apartment and came back out and she was still sitting out there. I asked if she wanted to hang out so we went in to her apartment and starting hanging out and everything.'



He said when she resisted him, he dragged her into her bedroom where he choked her as he raped her. He said he 'blocked out' her crying.

'I didn't realize how strongly I was really putting pressure on her. I was choking her,' he told reporters, according to the Indystar.com .

He said he tried to perform CPR on the lifeless teen but it was too late so he tied an apron around her neck to make it look like she'd killed herself.

Tragic: The family of Tara Willenborg, pictured, are mourning the beautiful teen's tragic death in her Clarksville, Indiana, apartment

Family: The teen's family said in a statement 'our hearts are broken and our lives will never be the same'

Next, he said he went back to his apartment, which was across the hall, and packed some clothes before telling his girlfriend he had to be at work early.

'I was nervous, you know. I was trying to figure out what I was going to do because I just did a terrible crime,' he said.

Yesterday, Hooten said the attack wasn't premeditated.

'I didn't really plan it. I went into her apartment. She was a pretty girl,' he said. 'I didn't know she was 17, I thought she was 19 or 20.'

But according to Indystar.com, the man told police he knew he was going to rape her when he first saw her sitting on the stoop outside her apartment building.

Calm: Hooten was calm as he told reporters exactly what happened on Saturday Uncommon: Hooten, pictured, made his confession in front of reporters on Thursday at Clark County Sheriff's Office Sorry: He apologized for what he did and said it wasn't planned though he reportedly told police earlier that he knew he was going to rape the teen

Hooten, a sex offender who has been convicted of six violent felonies, is also charged with criminal deviate conduct, being a habitual offender and abuse of a corpse.

He said he wasn't on drugs or particularly drunk when the attack took place and didn't know whether the teen had been drinking.

'I'm just sorry for what happened. I wish I could take it back, you know,' he said to Willenborg's parents and fiance.

Willenborg was laid to rest Wedensday at Walnut Ridge Cemetery in Jeffersonville. She would have turned 18 on Sunday.

Her family released a statement yesterday saying their lives will 'never be the same' and said they were 'relieved' Hooten was locked up.



Life cut short: Willenborg, pictured, was laid to rest Wednesday at Walnut Ridge Cemetery in Jeffersonville. She would have turned 18 on Sunday

Tara Willenborg of Clarksville was sexually assaulted and murdered inside her Clarkesville, Indiana apartment on Saturday

'The family would like to express our gratitude to everyone for their prayers in this terrible time,' they said.

'Our hearts are broken and our lives will never be the same. We are relieved that the murderer is behind bars where he cannot hurt anyone else, but nothing he can say or do will bring Tara back.'

According to the newspaper, the pretty 17-year-old's family said they did not want to focus on the horrible way the teen died, 'but on the beautiful life she lived.'

'She brought kindness, humor and peace wherever she went. We loved her with all our hearts, and we will miss her smile, her curls and her cupcakes. We will miss her art, her humor and her sense of style. Our hearts cannot yet imagine the future without her. Tara was our baby, and she always will be.'



The 17-year-old was discovered dead inside the apartment she shared with her fiancé - they had only moved in to the building in January

Willenborg's body was discovered by her fiancé Joshua Lewis when he returned from work on Saturday morning.

Hooten was arrested walking near to Willenborg's block after Lewis called 911 from a neighbor's apartment.



Clark County coroner Terry Conway said on Tuesday the teen was strangled and prosecutor Steven Smith said that the girl suffered a 'horrible death'.

Willenborg's father said his daughter had just moved into the apartment in January with her fiancé.



Sex offender: Hooten, 49, is a convicted sex offender

Police initially thought Hooten was working or visiting the apartment next door to Willenborg.

'They just had an acquaintance. I think they had just met recently,' said Darrell Rayborn of the Clarksville Police Department to Wave3.com.



He said that Hooten aroused police suspicions when he loitered around outside of the apartment complex building.

'Officers found him walking. He sort of fit the description and at that time they asked for his identity and ran a background check and noticed he had outstanding warrants,' said Rayborn.



Hooten currently has a warrant for his arrest for failing to register as a sex offender.



He also has prior convictions, including one for sexual battery in Indiana in 2009, and another in Georgia for aggravated sodomy and rape dating back to 1993.



In addition he had been wanted in Clark County for failing to register as a sex offender, and failure to appear on a prior meth charge.



The reverend Jennifer Mills Knutsen said that Willenborg's parents are stunned by the loss of their spiritual daughter.



'They're dealing with shock and grief and horror and just trying to make sense of it all,' said Knutsen told WDRB.com earlier this week.

'In all of her thoughts and all of her actions, she always tried to follow the path of peace.



'That's part of what makes her death so hard for all of us who loved her.



'We want to remember her not just for the horrible ending of her life but for the rich fullness and the love that she gave to us while she was alive.'