GEORGE WEST, Texas -- After nearly three years, justice finally arrived Wednesday morning for Enrique Mayoral.

The man charged in the DWI-related deaths of his wife, his son and his mother pleaded guilty to felony charges.

"There's no winners or losers here, but at least it's over," Mayoral said at a restaurant in George West, where he and his supporters held a bittersweet celebration.

On Wednesday morning, the group staged a protest outside the Live Oak County Courthouse, where they thought the trial of Horrace Mark Ryman would be delayed as it had been several times since the Dec. 21, 2006, crash. But instead, a new judge presided over the case. Ryman then pleaded guilty to three felony charges and was sentenced to 13 years in jail.

"It was totally a surprise to us," said George Alejos, a representative with the League of United Latin American Citizens, which has been monitoring the judicial process.

While the guilty plea was a surprise for Mayoral, he was even more surprised that Ryman apologized and cried in the courtroom. The first time, Mayoral said, that the suspect showed remorse.

"Believe me, it makes a lot of difference," Mayoral said. "In the past, he never showed remorse, or he was sorry. No sorrow, no remorse, no nothing. Today, it was something different, new. It made me feel human again."

Mayoral said he hopes his family will get to know the Ryman family in an effort to find peace, comfort and forgiveness.