HARTFORD, Conn. – A Connecticut man charged with killing three people in 2008 has turned down a plea deal that called for a 70-year prison sentence.
The Hartford Courant reports 35-year-old Harold Patterson on Wednesday opted to instead face a jury. Patterson faces up to 180 years behind bars if convicted. A trial date has not been scheduled.
Prosecutors allege Patterson fatally shot Raymond "Flip" Hite in June 2008 and used the same gun to kill Lamar Gresham and Carlos Ortiz in a drive-by shooting two months later.
An arrest warrant says a forensics lab connected shell casings found after Hite's death to those found at the scene of the drive-by shooting.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the homicides. His lawyer has said he denies any involvement in the deaths.
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Information from: Hartford Courant, http://www.courant.com
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