BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) — A Georgia judge says a man convicted of killing his father and seven extended family members in a mobile home will not face the death penalty.
Twenty-six-year-old Guy Heinze Jr. of Brunswick was found guilty of eight counts of malice murder on Friday. He was charged with the Aug. 29, 2009, killings just days after he cried in a frantic 911 call: “My whole family is dead!”
The judge in the case said shortly after the verdict was announced that prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty after a juror was dismissed earlier Friday.
Prosecutors said they believe Heinze beat each of the victims with a shotgun barrel late at night after trying to take prescription painkillers from one of them.
Defense attorneys argued police ignored evidence and alternate suspects to build a case against Heinze.
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