COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. -- A special session at Colonial Heights Circuit Court began at 6 p.m. Monday. The session allowed Matthew Brady to plea to the murders of an elderly couple in 2011.
Each of the two murder charges carries a sentence of 20 years to life. He also faces faces robbery chargers that could add five to life.
Joseph Bland, 84, and his 80-year-old wife Evelyn were found "bludgeoned" to death inside their Conduit Road Home on January 21, 2011, according to the prosecutor.
They were both killed by blunt force trauma to the head.
Wayne Cunningham, the victim's nephew said his family has been waiting for this day. "That's what we really needed. After four and a half years, almost five it's time to get closure and move on with our lives."
The plea agreement reached Monday means Brady will not face capital murder charges. Cunningham said he is okay with that outcome. "Might as well get to it and have the resolution we had today because you may not get a capital punishment verdict. It'll start the process and I'm happy with it," Cunningham said.
A week after the bodies were discovered, Matthew Brady, 27 at the time, was arrested and charged in the murders. He lived close by, and prosecutors said he studied their comings and goings. The couple had an alarm on the house, but on the day of their death, they ran in to get Evelyn's purse and left the door open.
That's when Brady struck, at nine in the morning.
Brady has been in jail ever since, but not convicted of any crimes associated with the case.
Delays in his trial include 144 defense motions filed by May of 2014, and the appointment of Craig Cooley as his fifth lead attorney that same month.
Brady was expected to go on trial the last two weeks of August, through the month of September. The plea deal he accepted means the capital murder charge is dropped. He admits guilt to two counts of first-degree murder, and two counts of robbery in commission with a felony.
He faces 20 years to life for each of the murders and five to life for the robbery charges. On August 17 he will be back in court, and both sides will present evidence. On Nov. 19 he will spends a full day in court for more evidence and then be sentenced.
After five years, some friends of the Blands' agreed it was time for the case to be over and to bring closure to the family.
Some said they'd like to see capital punishment carried out, but with this much time passed, they said the plea agreement saved the family from having to sit through a six- week trial, listening to the brutal details of the murder.
