Associated Press - October 14, 2009 9:54 PM ET

GEORGETOWN, Colo. (AP) - A man has pleaded guilty to raping and stabbing a 16-year-old girl in 1976 in a plea deal that requires him to give an "honest and truthful" account of what happened to her.

Ricky Lee Harnish, now 54, pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder in the death of Holly Andrews, whose body was found near Bakerville in Clear Creek County.

A plea agreement says he will face at most 24 years in prison if prosecutors are satisfied with his confession. Otherwise he could face 50 years in prison. Sentencing is set for Nov. 30.

Harnish was linked to the case after a felony drug conviction in 2005. A state law required him to submit to a DNA test, and his DNA was flagged as matching material collected from Andrews' body.

Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com

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