San Diego shooter avoids death penalty with plea
Guilty plea avoids penalty
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (AP) — A 22-year-old former nursing student pleaded guilty to the murder of one person and the attempted murders of 53 others in connection with a deadly shooting at a Southern California synagogue, effectively ending the possibility of facing the death penalty.
John T. Earnest entered a similar guilty plea on July 20 on state charges in San Diego Superior Court and agreed then to serve the rest of his life in state prison without the possibility of parole.
In the federal case, sentencing has been set for Dec. 28.
