Texas man held in Las Vegas in deadly 2020 Nevada-Arizona shooting rampage pleads guilty

[October 12, 2024]  By KEN RITTER

LAS VEGAS (AP) — One of three suspects jailed in Las Vegas following a deadly two-state shooting rampage on Thanksgiving 2020, including the killing of a man at a convenience store in southern Nevada and a shootout with authorities in northwestern Arizona, has pleaded guilty.

Christopher McDonnell, 32, entered his pleas Thursday to 23 felonies, including murder, attempted murder, murder conspiracy, weapon charges and being a felon illegally in possession of a firearm, according to Clark County District Court records.

He had been indicted on 55 counts, and his trial had been scheduled for next month. A felony charge of committing an act of terrorism was among counts dropped as part of his plea agreement.

“Christopher decided taking responsibility for his actions was in his best interest,” his attorney, Ryan Bashor, said Friday. McDonnell remains jailed without bail in Las Vegas. His plea was first reported by KLAS-TV.

McDonnell will face life in prison with a broad range of parole eligibility — a minimum of 21 years and a maximum 164 years, prosecutor Michael Schwartzer told The Associated Press, adding that he will seek a sentence “beyond (McDonnell's) natural life term.”

Sentencing is scheduled Dec. 13. Bashor said he hopes to win a more lenient sentence.

The plea agreement does not require Christopher McDonnell to testify at a jury trial set to begin Nov. 4 for his former wife, Kayleigh Lewis, 29, and his older brother, Shawn McDonnell, Schwartzer said.

Shawn McDonnell, 34, faces 54 felony charges including committing an act of terror and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Lewis, 29, faces 53 felony charges also including an act of terror, but will not face a possible a death sentence.

This undated booking photo provided by the Henderson Police Department shows Christopher McDonnell, 28, of Tyler, Texas. Christopher McDonnell, 32, pleaded guilty Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 to 23 felonies, including murder, attempted murder, murder conspiracy, weapon charges and being a felon illegally in possession of a firearm, according to Clark County District Court records. (Henderson Police Department via AP, File)

Both remain jailed without bail. Their defense attorneys did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Police and prosecutors say the 11-hour rampage began Nov. 26, 2020, and included apparently random shootings that killed Kevin Mendiola Jr. at a convenience store in Henderson, near Las Vegas, and drive-by gunfire that wounded several other people.

It ended near the Colorado River town of Parker, Arizona, after a chase involving officers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the crash of a car with a Texas license plate and the wounding of Shawn McDonnell by troopers wielding assault-style rifles.

The three defendants, originally from Tyler, Texas, were returned in custody to Las Vegas, where a grand jury indicted them in March 2021.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said at the time that the crimes amounted to “heinous and random” terrorist acts and an attempt to cause widespread fear in the public.

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