Man who killed ex-girlfriend, 3 others avoids death penalty

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – A Florida man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend, her new boyfriend and her parents has avoided the death penalty.

The Tampa Bay Times reports 11 of 12 jurors voted Tuesday for 32-year-old Adam Matos to be executed, but without unanimous agreement, Matos automatically received a life sentence. The jury convicted him last week of four counts of first-degree murder.

Authorities say Matos fatally shot Megan Brown and her father, Greg Brown, at their Hudson home in 2014. He also fatally beat Margaret Brown and Nick Leonard with a hammer, jurors heard.

Matos testified he’d been suffering from paranoia and committed the slayings in self-defence.

The 4-year-old son of Megan Brown and Matos was at the home when it happened.

The Brown family and Matos previously lived in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.

___

Information from: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.), http://www.tampabay.com.