CROWN POINT, Ind. -- A former Chicago man admitted Monday that he killed three Hammond teens in 2003 and buried their bodies in freshly poured concrete in the basement of his home.

With his plea, David Maust, 51, avoided the death penalty. Lake County, Ind., prosecutors will recommend that Maust receive three separate life sentences when he is sentenced Dec. 16.

Sobs from family members filled the courtroom as Superior Court Judge Clarence Murray formally read the names of the victims--Nicholas James, James Raganyi and Michael Dennis--and asked Maust if he understood the implications of his guilty plea.

"Are you pleading guilty to these charges because you are indeed guilty?" Murray asked.

"Yes, sir," Maust said, displaying no emotion.

Maust, who has lived in Hammond since 2002, was charged with the May 2, 2003, slaying of James, 19. Raganyi, 16, was killed on Sept. 10 and his friend Dennis, 13, was killed a day later on Sept. 11. The remains of all three were found in December 2003 entombed under a concrete slab in the basement of his apartment building.

Monday's plea by Maust comes after a lifelong series of violent incidents.

In 1974, when Maust was with the U.S. Army in Germany, he was accused of murdering Jimmy McClister, 13, but was convicted in a court martial of involuntary manslaughter. He served 4 years in Ft. Leavenworth, Kan.

In 1981, he killed 15-year-old Donald Jones in Elgin, and after more than 10 years in a mental hospital, Maust was sent to prison for the murder. He was released after serving 17 years of a 35-year prison sentence, even though he had attempted to escape.

Maust also was convicted in 1981 of causing bodily injury to a child for stabbing a boy in Texas.

Maust's lawyer Thomas Vanes said that Maust never wanted to walk out of jail after his 1981 murder conviction. Maust wrote to prison officials in 1999 asking to remain incarcerated, according to court documents.

"I believe that any person who harms or murders another person should never be free to live in society again," Maust wrote. "I used up all my chances to be free. On my release date, take me to Sheridan penitentiary so I can live out the rest of my life there."

Vanes also said that Maust is at peace knowing that he will never walk out of prison.

In the agreement with prosecutors, Vanes said that Maust asked that he be held in isolation in the Lake County Jail before his formal sentencing next month. Vanes said Maust also asked to be in solitary confinement in state prison, because he feared for his life.

"This provides a clean ending for everyone, a final ending. There are no Hallmark moments as your honor is aware, but this is about as close as we can get to that," Vanes said.

Peter Villarreal, the lead prosecutor, said he had spoken with the families of all three boys, and that the plea deal had their blessings.

"It's in the best interest of the people of Indiana. It guarantees that he will never again walk in society. We are trying to protect society," Villarreal said. "We have talked to the families. This would give them some closure."

The appeals process in death penalty cases can take at least 20 years, he said.

While Murray must approve the plea deal next month, lawyers said that is a formality. At that hearing, family members of the boys will have a chance to speak about the impact of the killings.

Raganyi's sister, Melody, standing with her family outside of the prosecutor's office, said she hopes Maust fully understands the impact the killings have had on the families.

"I wish he understands the grief that he caused," she said. "He took my brother away from us. [James] will never know what he could have become."

Michael Dennis Sr. said that though he agreed with sparing Maust the death penalty, he didn't want him to be in isolation.

"I don't want him to be in segregation. In the general population he'll get what he's got coming to him," said Dennis, 32, who was at court with his mother and other family members.

Dennis said he holds the Illinois Department of Corrections liable for releasing Maust, especially after Maust asked never to be let out. Dennis also believes the Army botched Maust's prosecution for McClister's murder and sought to protect one of its own.

As part of the agreement, Maust spent nearly six hours on Saturday recounting the murders to Hammond Police Lt. Ron Johnson, who led the investigation. Johnson refused to say exactly what they discussed but did say that Maust admitted in detail the killings of the three Hammond teens, as well as killing Jones and McClister.

Christena Harding, McClister's mother, said that all she ever wanted from Maust was for him to admit that he murdered her son. McClister would have turned 44 this past Thursday. Harding, who spoke from her home in Florida, said her biggest fear was that he would walk out of jail again.

"I think it's a wonderful thing," Harding said through tears. "Maybe God's finally listening to us. I never thought he would admit to it. I have peace of mind now."

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