BOULDER, Colo.—Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty in the case of a Longmont man accused of killing a friend after a January crime spree.
Forty-one-year-old Joseph C. Abeyta faces first-degree murder and other charges in the death of 47-year-old William Dwayne Andrews of Boulder.
Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett notified the court Wednesday that he will not be seeking the death penalty. He says he made the decision based on the low likelihood that a jury would find in favor of the death penalty, along with the mitigating factors in the case and the amount of time and money involved in such a prosecution.
Abeyta’s attorney, Jason Savela, didn’t return calls from the Daily Camera seeking comment.
Authorities allege Abeyta fatally shot Andrews on Jan. 23 after the two got drunk and threatened three people with a gun at homes in Longmont and Boulder.
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Information from: Daily Camera,
