WENTWORTH, N.C. (AP) — A 29-year-old man is sentenced to two life sentences for fatally shooting a couple after breaking into their Rockingham County home.
Local media outlets report that Jose Alvarez Jr. of Greensboro pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of first-degree murder in the 2012 deaths of Troy and LaDonna French.
Alvarez is not eligible for parole.
Attorneys say he repeatedly broke into their home over six months after finding a spare key. During one break-in, he stole the gun used in the murders.
Defense attorney Vincent Rabil says Alvarez was obsessed with what he considered a model home.
On the night of Feb. 4, 2012, the couple’s 19-year-old daughter woke up when a floorboard creaked and screamed. As Alvarez fled, he encountered the couple near the bottom of the stairs.