A former Marine shocked the courtroom during his own murder trial, admitting to strangling the wife of another Marine and pushing her head-first down an abandoned mine shaft in the remote California desert.

The Desert Sun reports (http://desert.sn/2eRWHKr ) Christopher Lee made those statements after taking the stand Tuesday.

Lee had pleaded not guilty to killing 19-year-old Erin Corwin, his neighbor and the wife of a Marine with whom Lee's suspected of having an affair.

Lee says he's "no longer scared to tell the truth" and people need to know what he did.

Lee says he decided to kill Corwin because he was controlled by anger and hate. He testified that Corwin had molested a family member — the first time that accusation has come to light.

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Information from: The Desert Sun, http://www.mydesert.com/