Local shooting victim’s family OK with plea deal

The stepfather of a local man who died in the Colorado theater shooting last year said it would not bother him if suspect James Holmes pleads guilty and avoids the death penalty.

“As long as he’s pleading guilty and it puts him in prison for life, I’m good with it. As long as he’s not walking the street, I don’t care,” David Jackson, 59, said.

Jackson is the stepfather of Matthew R. McQuinn, 27, who died trying to provide cover for his girlfriend, Samantha Yowler, during the shooting. Yowler was shot in the leg but survived.

McQuinn, a Springfield native, graduated from Vandalia-Butler High School in 2004. The couple met at a Springfield Target store and moved to the Denver area in November of 2011.

Lawyers for shooting suspect James Holmes said Wednesday he would agree to plead guilty and serve the rest of his life in prison to avoid the death penalty.

The offer comes just days before the prosecution was set to announce whether they would seek to have Holmes put to death for the attack that killed 12 people and injured 70.

Prosecutors wouldn’t say Wednesday whether they’d go along with a plea deal, and likely will consult with victims and their families before deciding whether to accept the offer.

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