A man who allegedly murdered of four of his family members during a Thanksgiving 2009 shooting rampage has reportedly been offered a plea deal that will spare him the death penalty.
Under the terms of the plea deal, the accused would plead guilty to first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder charges in exchange for seven consecutive life sentences.
The difference between consecutive sentences and concurrent sentences is that consecutive sentences are served one after the other, whereas concurrent sentences are served at the same time. That means that the accused would serve each life sentence, only to be followed by another life sentence. Consecutive life sentences are more of a legal fiction - obviously once he dies the sentence is over. It does, however, prevent somebody from ever being released to the expiration of the sentence or accumulation of gain time. Of course, there is no gain time for a life sentence. In Florida, life means life. Our state did away with parole years ago.
Many cases are resolved by way of plea negotiations. If you are charged with a crime, it may be in your best interest to resolve the case by way of plea as jury trials can be risky, especially when the evidence against you is strong.
Talk to a criminal defense attorney about your case to decide whether a plea or a trial is in your best interest.