A man who authorities said kidnapped and raped a 13-year-old girl admitted to the allegations filed against him in the Superior Court of Guam.

Jesse James, 42, pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct before Judge Alberto Tolentino on Monday.

He was sentenced to serve life in prison.

“This pedophile followed a thirteen-year-old teenager who was walking home from a store and sexually assaulted her in the jungle. An animal that deserves to be locked away to protect other innocent children. Had the case gone to trial the AG’s Office would have proven that pedophile Jesse James stalked, targeted and preyed upon this young girl, who lived in the area,” according to a news release from the Office of the Attorney General.

The incident happened in 2019 in Dededo.

It took authorities three years to charge James after investigators eventually got a DNA sample tested by the FBI that linked him to the crime scene.

“This negotiated plea requiring life imprisonment is necessary to keep our people safe…How we punish and keep pedophiles locked away from our children reflect our values. We ask that the Guam Legislature amend our laws to require mandatory life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for all Pedophiles. This is Justice, this ensures our children’s safety,” the release states.

The guilty plea comes two days before the jury trial was scheduled to begin.