A Santa Fe man who shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend and her father faces up to 32 years in prison under a plea agreement approved by a state district judge.
Marino Leyba Jr. pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of 17-year-old Sarah Lovato and 50-year-old Bennie Ray Lovato.
The 27-year-old Leyba will be sentenced Dec. 13.
Leyba was initially convicted of first-degree murder in 2010 and sentenced to 63 years in prison, but the state Supreme Court overturned the verdict last year. The court ruled a key piece of the evidence against Leyba was inadmissible hearsay.
Lovato family members told Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer during Friday's hearing that they were opposed to the plea agreement.
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Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com
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