SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon man has pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and arson in a fire at a Salem hot rod car shop in 2009.
But 42-year-old Marty Wayne Wendt entered a special kind of plea called an “Alford plea” that allows him to avoid the death penalty by still claiming he is innocent while admitting prosecutors have enough evidence to convince a jury.
The Statesman Journal reported that Wendt faces a prison sentence of at least 90 years under the plea deal.
Wendt was arrested in August 2009 after the bodies of three people were found following a March 2009 fire at Myke’s Custom Rod and Speed Shop.
