Andres Avalos was handed his third life sentence on Wednesday for the death of his wife, Amber Avalos.
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Deanna, Amber’s sister, said the sentence brings her family closure and they’re happy it’s over.
On Monday, Avalos was sentenced to life in prison for the deaths of Pastor Tripp Battle and Denise Potter.
The jury had voted 7-5 in favor of the death penalty in the murder of Pastor Battle, but because it wasn’t a unanimous vote, Avalos received the sentence of life in prison.
Pastor Battle's wife, Joy, said she's at peace with the jury's decision.
"I’m not saying that Andy didn’t deserve a penalty of death, but what we wanted was just justice, and I feel that him spending life in prison is justice," Joy stated.
The defense argued that Avalos suffers from mental illness, but ultimately, prosecutors convinced jurors that he killed the three with a sound mind, fueled by rage and jealousy.
According to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, Avalos, 36, fatally shot his wife, 33-year-old Amber, and their neighbor, Potter, 46, at the couple's home in Bradenton on Dec. 4, 2014. Avalos then allegedly went to Bayshore Baptist Church, where investigators said Avalos shot and killed Battle.
Avalos was arrested two days later at an area mobile home park. Prosecutors said Avalos confessed to investigators after he was arrested.
The family of Avalos' wife Amber spoke to us after the verdict: "I saw the sorrow on his face. And I know he is sorry," said Amber's mother Darlene Lee. "I will forgive him. Eventually."
As of now, Avalos will stay in the Manatee County jail until the Department of Corrections figures out which prison to send him to.
According to our partners at the Bradenton Herald, the court ruled that Avalos will serve those three life sentences one after the other.