Blast victims' relatives weigh in on BP plea deal

(AP) Relatives of workers killed in the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion are sharing their stories with the judge who will decide whether to accept a plea deal that calls for BP PLC to pay a record $4.5 billion in penalties for the 2010 disaster.

Wednesday is the deadline for victims to submit written statements about BP's plea agreement with the Justice Department to U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance. The judge has scheduled a Jan. 29 hearing where she will either accept or reject the deal.

Billy Fred Anderson, father of blast victim Jason Anderson, urged Vance to reject the deal and called for BP to pay billions more in restitution, including additional payments to families. Siblings of another victim, Gordon Jones, said BP's sentence should include an apology to family members.