A man accused of killing a Florida priest will serve a life sentence after pleading guilty Wednesday to murder charges.
Steven Murray, 30, of Georgia, was charged in the April 2016 shooting death of the Rev. Rene Robert, a priest with the Diocese of St. Augustine in northeast Florida who had been trying to help him.
Murray allegedly met Robert through a girlfriend, Ashley Shreve. The couple did drugs together, and Robert often gave them money, against their families’ wishes.
According to his colleagues, the 71-year-old priest devoted his life to helping the poor, often scraping leftovers from plates into baggies to give to the homeless.
Because he devoted his life to helping society’s most troubled, Robert was aware that he could become a victim of violence. More than two decades before his death, he signed a “Declaration of Life,” calling for his killer to be spared the death penalty in the event of his murder.
Murray was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He also received two separate five-year sentences, to be served consecutively, for two gun charges.
Prosecutors say his plea will spare him the death penalty.