MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man avoided a trial and possible death sentence by pleading guilty Wednesday to fatally shooting three people and wounding three others in a daylong series of shootings that was livestreamed on social media in 2022.
Ezekiel Kelly, 22, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and two dozen other charges in a Memphis courtroom. Shelby County Judge James Jones Jr. sentenced Kelly to three life sentences without parole, plus 221 years, in a deal with prosecutors.
Kelly had pleaded not guilty in the September 2022 shooting rampage in Memphis that led to a citywide shelter-in-place order during a frantic search. He took the stand during Wednesday's hearing, telling the judge he agreed to plead guilty and that he accepted the prison sentences.
Kelly cried and wiped his eyes with a tissue as the relative of a victim gave a statement in court. Kelly then said there was nothing he could say to give shooting victims and their families closure.
He added that he was in the “darkest place of my life” at the time of the shootings and he wanted to help others avoid the same bad decisions he made.
“God gave me a second chance,” Kelly said.
Kelly’s trial had been set to begin Feb. 9. His lawyers had said that evidence in the case included 400 witnesses and more than 300 videos.
“He's truly sorry for what he's done,” said Michael Scholl, Kelly's lawyer, while speaking with reporters after the hearing.
Prosecutors had said they planned to seek the death penalty if Kelly were convicted of first-degree murder.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said family members of victims were satisfied with the plea agreement.
“Death penalty cases can drag on for years, if not decades, making the families and the victims stuck in the pain,” Mulroy told reporters after the hearing. “What we achieved today achieved certainty and finality, making sure that Mr. Kelly will never see the light of day.”
Along with the killings of Dewayne Tunstall, Richard Clark and Allison Parker, Kelly also had been charged with offenses including attempted murder, reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, theft and commission of an act of terrorism.
At least three witnesses saw Kelly shoot Tunstall during a gathering at a Memphis home at about 1 a.m. on Sept. 7, 2022, according to a police affidavit. Clark and Parker were shot later that day, authorities said.
Police said three other people were wounded in the shootings, which took place in different parts of Memphis, including at a gas station, along an interstate and at an auto parts store.
Kelly livestreamed himself on social media platforms firing a gun and wounding a man at the auto parts store and talking about shooting people.
The ordeal shut down Memphis’ public bus system, locked down two college campuses and stopped a minor league baseball game.
Kelly carjacked at least two vehicles before he was arrested when he crashed a stolen car while fleeing police, authorities said.
Parker was a mother of three who worked as a medical assistant at a clinic in nearby West Memphis, Arkansas.
Clark worked as a campus safety officer at Christian Brothers University after retiring from a career as a corrections officer.