BEIJING, Nov. 21 -- Dan Porter, father of two Kansas City-area children whose remains were uncovered three years later after they disappeared, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, media reported Wednesday.

       Porter, 44, already is serving a 38-year prison term for kidnapping his son, Sam, 7, and daughter, Lindsey, 8, to terrorize his estranged ex-wife, Tina Porter.

       Speaking to reporters after a brief court appearance, Porter admitted he killed his children and apologized.

       "I'm sorry," Porter told reporters. "No matter how sorry I am, I realize there are going to be people who never forgive me."

       Asked why he did it, Porter said: "Could any man come up with an excuse for that? Is there such an excuse?"

       The charge by Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar came more than two months after Porter confessed to the authorities and led FBI agents and police to a wooded area in Sugar Creek, where he said he killed and buried them. Authorities searched the area and identified the remains using dental Sept. 9.

       Court documents allege that Porter planned the killings two days before he picked up the children for a weekend visit.

       Each child died of a gunshot wound, according to the documents.

       The first-degree murder charges could lead to the death penalty if Porter is convicted, according to Kanatzar.

       "Given the facts surrounding this case, including but not limited to the ages of the victim and the fact that he was their father, I must and will consider the death penalty," Kanatzar said. "That process will now move forward. I hope to make a final decision in three to four weeks."

       Porter did not yet have an attorney present, and another hearing was scheduled for December.

       After he was arrested June 10, 2004, near Trenton, Missouri, Porter told police various stories, including that he sold the children to a woman from Illinois, and that he strangled them.