A killer with a skull face tattoo has been sentenced to 100 years in prison for his role in an 11-hour two-state spree of violence that killed one and injured several others.
Christopher McDonnell, 32, pleaded guilty but mentally ill in October to 23 felonies, including murder, attempted murder, murder conspiracy, other weapon charges, and being a felon illegally in possession of a firearm, according to Clark County District Court records seen by the Associated Press.
McDonnell, his brother Shawn McDonnell, 34, and Shawn McDonnell’s then-wife, Kayleigh Lewis, 29, all from Tyler, Texas, unleashed a shooting attack on members of the public across Nevada and Arizona on Thanksgiving Day in 2020.
The brothers indiscriminately fired a round of bullets at cars and into a 7-Eleven in Henderson, Nevada, on November 26 2020 while Lewis drove the vehicle, according to prosecutors.
McDonnell’s bullets fatally struck Kevin Mendiola Jr, 22, of North Las Vegas, in the 7-Eleven.
As the spray of bullets was fired, Mendiola Jr attempted to shield his girlfriend, Jayde Libby, but despite efforts, she and his brother Christevin Mendiola, suffered wounds from the gunshots but fortunately survived, according to his family to the courts, as per8NewsNow.
Christevin Mendiola told KFox14: “The hurt, the pain, the guilt, and the stress that these three individuals put on my family. Our lives will never be the same after this.”
Seth Spangler was also struck while he had been shopping with his daughter and 2-year-old grandchild, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
A bullet, fired by Christopher McDonnell, punctured Spangler’s lung as he stepped out of the store, leaving him bleeding from his back, the outlet said.
“I call him Skeletor” Spangler said in testimony, in reference to the striking inkwork around McDonnell’s eyes.
His daughter had been waiting in the car with her 2-year-old when Christopher McDonnell approached her window with a gun.
“I pleaded for my life. Please don’t shoot. My daughter is in the back seat”, she testified, as per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
But McDonnell then decided to aim his gun at her child in the backseat, she said. Fortunately, he decided to spare the woman and her child, reported the outlet.
As the group continued their rampage into Arizona around 1 a.m. they hit a police officer and targeted other motorists before their car rolled over bringing them to a halt near the Colorado River town of Parker, Arizona – where police arrested them, reported 8NewsNow.
Clark County District Judge Tierra Jones handed McDonnell the lengthy sentence Friday meaning that if still alive, he would be eligible for parole in 2120.
The trio originally faced at least 50 counts each for charges relating to the spree including the death penalty.
Shawn McDonnell and Lewis who were both charged with committing an act of terror are reportedly awaiting trial.
Christopher McDonnell’s public defender, Ryan Bashor, described his client as a "troubled, troubled person" – prosecutors denied requests for a reduced sentence instead opting for the maximum penalty, reported KFOX14.
The Independent contacted the Henderson Police Department for further information.
