COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—A man charged with fatally shooting a Colorado Springs police officer has pleaded guilty under a plea deal that calls for life in prison without parole.
Marco Lee, 27, entered his plea Friday to first-degree murder and other charges in the 2006 death of Ken Jordan, 32.
The plea agreement calls for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole plus 167 years.
Authorities say Jordan was killed while providing backup for another officer who had pulled over Lee on suspicion of drunken driving. Lee shot Jordan five times before being wounded by other officers.
Prosecutors originally filed notice that they planned to seek the death penalty in the case.
However, prosecutor Diana May said they agreed to drop the death penalty, in part because tests after the shooting showed Lee’s blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit for driving in Colorado.
She said defense attorneys would have used that to prove Lee was too drunk to intentionally kill Jordan, diminishing chances a jury would have sentenced him to death.
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Information from: The Gazette,
