CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) — Authorities say a teenager who opened fire at a rural New Mexico library last year has signed an agreement saying he will plead guilty. The August 2017 shooting killed two librarians and injured four others.
District Attorney Andrea Reeb said Tuesday that 17-year-old Nathaniel Ray Jouett, of Clovis, has agreed to plead guilty to 30 counts listed in an indictment filed against him, including two counts of first-degree murder.
Jouett's attorney says he agreed to plead guilty to avoid a lengthy trial that would have further traumatized victims.
Defense attorney Stephen Taylor also says he has filed a motion advocating for Jouett to be sentenced as a juvenile.
The Associated Press, which generally does not name juveniles accused of crimes, is identifying Jouett because of the seriousness of the crime.
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This story corrects a previous version that misspelled Jouett's first name.
