Alleged Buffalo supermarket gunman planning to plead guilty, lawyers say
The suspect accused of killing 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket in May will plead guilty to state charges on Monday, an attorney for the victims said.
Terrence Connors, who represents the families of the victims, said Payton Gendron, 19, plans to plead guilty to the indictment, which comprises 25 counts, including murder, murder as a hate crime and domestic terrorism motivated by hate.
The suspect allegedly drove about three hours from his home to a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, where he killed 10 and injured three others at a Tops supermarket.
The domestic terrorism motivated by hate charge carries an automatic life sentence without parole.
Authorities have revealed that the suspect invited people to a chatroom just before the shooting, with his private server allegedly including racist content and plans for the shooting dating back six months.
He has reportedly touted the so-called great replacement theory, a far-right conspiracy alleging a deliberate effort to replace white Americans with people of color.
A federal grand jury in July indicted the suspect on 14 federal hate crime charges and 13 federal firearms charges.
The shooting, along with a massacre days later at an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school, re-sparked calls for stronger gun control, leading lawmakers to pass a bipartisan gun bill in the summer.
The bill enhanced background checks for those under the age of 21, cracked down on ghost gun purchases and provided incentives for states to implement red flag laws, among other provisions.
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