Broward County Man Pleads Guilty In Murder Of University Professor

One of two Plantation men accused of kidnapping, robbery, arson and murder in the death of a Nova Southeastern University professor has accepted a plea deal from prosecutors.

In exchange for testimony against his co-defendant, which happens to be his own father, the 23-year old agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges which removed the death penalty as an option during sentencing, according to the Sun-Sentinel.

The accused and his 44-year old father reportedly attacked the professor and his wife in their home in 2010. The accused allegedly planned the attack because he was about to be evicted from the home he rented from the professor.

The accused and his father allegedly broke into the professor's home, forced the couple to drive to a nearby ATM and withdraw money, then returned to the home where they tied the wife up and stabbed the professor to death. They are also accused of setting a fire in the home before they left. The professor's wife was able to escape after the couple’s five year old son, who had been a sleep in his room, brought his mother a pair of scissors which allowed her to cut through her bonds.

The accused's father was scheduled to go on trial in September. That will now be rescheduled after his son accepted the deal.

The accused faces, and will likely receive, life in prison. If convicted, the accused's father will face the death penalty.