Sunday School teacher Melissa Huckaby pleads guilty to killing 8-year-old

A Sunday school teacher accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 8-year-old Sandra Cantu entered a surprise guilty plea to first-degree murder on Monday, sparing her the death penalty, People mediates.

Melissa Huckaby (29) of Tracy, Calif., is expected to be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison without the possibility of parole. As part of her plea in a Stockton court, all other charges – including rape, lewd acts with a child and poisoning another child and a man – have been dropped.

Because there will be no trial, the public may never get to hear why Huckaby attacked her daughter’s 8-year-old playmate and hid her body in a suitcase. Her ex-husband has said that Huckaby was a good mom to their 5-year-old daughter and didn’t seem capable of hurting anyone.