instead of fighting for his life, admitted murderer Charles Barker agreed to spend his entire life in prison.

instead of fighting for his life, admitted murderer Charles Barker agreed to spend his entire life in prison. Barker murdered Francis and Helen Benefiel in the summer of 1993; kidnapped their granddaughter Candice, a former girlfriend of Barker; and their 1-year-old child.
An appeals court later overturned the death sentence. Jurors weren't told they should also consider sentencing Barker to life in prison without parole.
Pursuing another death sentence, the prosecutor says, would involve retrying the 12-year-old case with a brand new jury, something the Benefiels didn't want to endure.