Man pleads guilty in 2019 Louisiana killing spree

LIVINGSTON, La. (AP) — A man accused of killing five people pleaded guilty Wednesday in the 2019 slayings of three of them — his girlfriend and two of her family members.

In state court in Livingston Parish, Dakota Theriot, now 24, entered the plea before District Judge Brenda B. Ricks in the shooting deaths of Summer Ernest, 20; her 17-year-old brother, Tanner Ernest, and her father, Billy Ernest, 43, at a home outside of Walker, news outlets reported.

Court filings show he is scheduled to appear later Wednesday in Ascension Parish before District Judge Jason Verdigets, where he faces two more counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his parents, Keith and Elizabeth Theriot, both 50, prosecutors said. A plea was expected in those killings as well, officials said.

Authorities have said Theriot was living with his girlfriend’s family when the shootings occurred in January 2019. After the Ernests were gunned down, Theriot then took her father’s truck to Ascension Parish, where he allegedly shot his father and stepmother at their home in Gonzales before fleeing to his grandmother’s home in Virginia, where he was captured.

Theriot was sentenced to three life sentences without parole and avoids the death penalty for the Livingston Parish murders.

“As in any decision made when resolving a case, consideration is given to the victims and their families, the community, and the legal and factual posture of the case in its entirety. The victims’ families have agreed with the defendant’s plea and sentence. We appreciate their patience and cooperation," District Attorney Scott Perrilloux said in a statement.

Perrilloux noted the defendant's extensive psychological records documenting a history of mental illness.

“Seeking the death penalty, although factually warranted,...