Man pleads guilty to killing wife, girl in Post Falls

POST FALLS, Idaho (AP) — A man accused of strangling his wife and her daughter in Post Falls has pleaded guilty. The Spokesman-Review reports that 26-year-old Angel Albertico Morales-Larranaga entered his plea Wednesday in Kootenai County court.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors have agreed to withdraw their intent to seek the death penalty. The agreement calls for Morales-Larranaga to plead guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and serve two consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole. Morales-Larranaga is charged in the deaths of 24-year-old Facunda Velenzuelaleon and 6-year-old Dayana Valencia on July 8, 2014.

A Post Falls police report says Morales-Larranaga told a friend he strangled his wife. The friend asked about the girl and said Morales-Larranaga replied that she was hitting him so he "had to kill her, too."