Yeah, this guy's hosed no matter what he's sentenced to--he's dead if he gets the death penalty, he's dead if he gets a lesser sentence, and he's dead if he's found innocent. He's in a pickle, to put it mildly.
Not sure how he could be found innocent with a confession like that.
OT:Is anyone found "innocent" any more? I have only heard "not guilty" which is a whole other ball of wax.