Man pleads guilty to killing Sterling grandmother

A man accused of killing his grandparents to get a modest inheritance will serve life in prison after pleading guilty but his alleged accomplice is still facing the death penalty.

Under a deal with prosecutors, 20-year-old Brendan Lee Johnson pleaded guilty on Thursday to first-degree murder in the death of his grandmother, Shirley Severance of Sterling. The Sterling Journal-Advocate reports that District Attorney Brittny Lewton dropped all other charges and will no longer seek the death penalty against him.

Johnson’s girlfriend, Cassandra Rieb, is also charged in the deaths of Shirley and Charles Severance. She pleaded not guilty on Thursday, just hours after Johnson changed his plea.

Investigators say Rieb told police they wanted to get the grandparents’ small house and $20,000 that Johnson expected to inherit.