BRADENTON, Fla. (970 WFLA) - It's life in prison for Andres Avalos.
Although the jury voted 7-5 in favor of a death sentence, Florida law now requires a unanimous jury for execution.
Avalos, 36, was convicted of killing his estranged wife, his neighbor, and his pastor.
The jury deliberated for 13 hours on Saturday before reaching a verdict.
An investigation into the killings revealed Avalos shot his wife Amber and hung her body in the home in December of 2014. When their neighbor and friend, Denise Potter came to the scene, he shot her five times.
Avalos then traveled to Bayshore Baptist Church, where he gunned down their pastor, James "Tripp" Battle. Prosecutors say he believed Battle and his wife were having an affair, and that he admitted to all three killings during interviews with detectives.
“I think my heart is still broken and it always will be. I’ll never have a complete heart again,” said Rhonda Battle, mother of Tripp Battle. “Even though this is over, and it’s nice to know that it’s over, but I still miss him," she told News Channel 8.
photo credit: WFLA-TV