Christopher McDonnell, 32, of Tyler, Texas, has been sentenced to a minimum of 100 years in prison for his role in a deadly two-state shooting spree on Thanksgiving Day 2020, The Associated Press reports.
Clark County District Judge Tierra Jones handed down the sentence on Friday, according to KLAS-TV. McDonnell will be eligible for parole in 2120, assuming he lives that long, after receiving credit for time served.
McDonnell pleaded guilty in October to over 20 felonies, including murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, weapons charges, and being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm. The charges stem from an 11-hour crime spree that began in Nevada and continued into Arizona.
According to police and prosecutors, McDonnell, his brother Shawn McDonnell (34), and Shawn’s then-wife, Kayleigh Lewis (29), embarked on a rampage on November 26, 2020. The spree began with the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Kevin Mendiola Jr. at a Henderson convenience store near Las Vegas. Several other individuals were wounded in drive-by shootings.
The trio then fled to Arizona, where further shootings occurred, including an incident involving a police officer. Their crime spree ended near Parker, Arizona, after a high-speed chase with Arizona Department of Public Safety officers. The suspects’ vehicle crashed, resulting in injuries to Shawn McDonnell during an exchange of gunfire with troopers. All three suspects were apprehended at the scene.
Prosecutors allege that Lewis drove the vehicle while the McDonnell brothers indiscriminately fired from the windows. Shawn McDonnell and Lewis are awaiting trial on related charges.
