There will be no capital murder trial for 19-year-old Joshua Lofton. In a plea deal in Pulaski County, he pleaded guilty to first degree murder and he won't be eligible for parole until he's 38 years old. FOX16 met up with the victim's wife at church. She says she draws strength from her faith.
When Tammera Worden looks at pictures of her husband, Dean Worden, the memories come flooding back. Getting along without him for the past two and half years has been tough for the whole family.
It was July 2007 when police say Joshua Lofton, 17,
beat and robbed Linda Garner in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Then he fired into the crowd before taking off and one of the bullets hit Dean Worden.
"If he needed money, Dean would have gave it to him. He would have given him the shirt off his back. It's senseless," says Tammera Worden.
Tammera says even though Lofton won't face a capital murder trial or spend life in prison, she is at peace. She said, "No matter what the sentence is, 30 years or life will never bring Dean back. It doesn't change anything."
Since Lofton was 17 at the time of the crime he would not have received the death penalty. Mrs. Worden said she talked with prosecutors about the plea deal and supports the decision.
