A Mayfield man will avoid a trial in return for a life sentence without the possibility of parole in connection to an arson and shooting death of four of his family members.
Pascasio Pacheco of Mayfield pleaded guilty in Calloway Circuit Court to the 2015 shooting deaths of his aunt and uncle and the arson deaths of their two young children.
Pacheco first pleaded not guilty in January 2016. Commonwealth Attorney Mark Blankenship said he would seek the death penalty in the trial originally set for January 7th.
Assistant Commonwealth Attorney James Burkeen says Pacheco's plea bargain effectively cancels next month's trial.
He will face formal sentencing on February 18th. The case is still pending until that day, when the victims' family may make a victim impact statement.
Prosecutors have said Pacheco’s trial would have been the first death penalty case in Calloway County in around 100 years.
