Their guilt was definitely not in question. They were arrested by the cops in the middle of the act of assaulting the employee (kicking him while he was on the

Their guilt was definitely not in question. They were arrested by the cops in the middle of the act of assaulting the employee (kicking him while he was on the ground) and with the shoplifted property on their possession. A conviction was already assured, the guilty plea was an extremely rational move, whether out of contrition or fear.