A Mississippi man on Friday pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and aggravated robbery for shooting a Kansas convenience store clerk during a multi-state crime spree.
Alex Bridges Deaton, 28, Philadelphia, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to the two charges, which stemmed from a March incident at a Pratt convenience store. Deaton shot a 19-year-old clerk at the store March 1 and fled the store with the clerkâs car. Deaton was captured a few hours later near Dorrance, Kansas, after a pursuit by state troopers that ended with a crash and fire.
The state agreed to dismiss two lesser charges, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said. Pratt County District Court Judge Francis Meisenheimer accepted the plea.
A status hearing in the case was scheduled for August 28 at 4 p.m. Sentencing was scheduled for October 16 at 9:30 a.m.
A nationwide manhunt had been launched to find Deaton after his girlfriend was found dead in Rankin County, Mississippi, near Jackson, and a jogger was shot near the girlfriend’s apartment.