Ohio man pleads guilty in father-in-law's killing

CINCINNATI (AP) — An Ohio man has avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty to shooting and killing his 76-year-old father-in-law just outside Cincinnati.

Hamilton County prosecutor Joseph Deters says that 45-year-old David Franks was sentenced to life in prison today after he pleaded guilty to five counts involving the March slaying.

In addition to killing his father-in-law, James Schobert, Franks pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder for shooting at three police officers.

Deters says he agreed to a plea deal for Franks after learning he had suffered a traumatic brain injury when a wall fell on him in a construction accident several years ago, causing his behavior to dramatically change.

That fact would have made an argument for the death penalty much more difficult.