In a twist of events, a man set for trial in a Colorado Springs murder case went against the advice of his attorneys Wednesday and entered a guilty plea that would likely have him serve the rest of his life in prison.

Shackled by his wrists and ankles, Emmanuel Cooley, 50, confessed before an El Paso County judge and the loved ones of 38-year-old Bryan Parada, whom he shot and killed in the parking lot of the Park Hill Shopping Center on East Pikes Peak Avenue on May 16, 2025.

Surveillance footage showed the pair get into a verbal argument that escalated when Cooley took a swing at Parada before pulling out a handgun and firing, according to previous Gazette reporting.

“If (I) had the power to trade places with Mr. Parada, I would,” Cooley told the courtroom Wednesday.…