this was after he'd already pled guilty to the crime and this part of the hearing was just about what his sentence would be. He really wanted to take the stand and he came off so badly, it was cringeworthy.
If he'd just let the guilty plea be the only thing the judge heard from him, he probably would have gotten about what other guys were getting for the same crime (about 19 months average). But he came off as a horrible person, somebody who should be off the streets for a long time and he walked away with a 6 year sentence.