HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to murdering his parents with an ax and trying to kill his two brothers and a sister was sentenced to five life sentences.

Jeffrey Franklin, 21, avoided a death sentence Friday in pleading guilty to two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. He had been scheduled to stand trial Monday for capital murder.

Franklin had been charged with killing Gerald and Cynthia Franklin and wounding three siblings, all under 12, with an ax on March 10, 1998, in Huntsville.

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