This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Okemah, Okla. • A man accused of fatally shooting two Oklahoma girls then killing his fiancee no longer faces the death penalty after he agreed to waive his right to a jury trial.
Kevin Sweat is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He's accused in the 2008 deaths of 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker in Weleetka, and the 2011 slaying of his fiancee, Ashley Taylor.
Defense attorney Peter Astor tells the Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/1jQTa7H ) that Sweat on Thursday waived his right to a jury trial in exchange for prosecutors not seeking the death penalty.
A judge will determine his fate at an Aug. 4 trial.
If Sweat is convicted of first-degree murder, he faces life in prison, either with or without the possibility of parole.