LAS VEGAS, NV — A Texas man with a skull face tattoo was sentenced to 100 years in prison for an 11-hour shooting spree across Nevada and Arizona that killed one man, wounded several others, and terrorized motorists on Thanksgiving Day in 2020.
Christopher McDonnell, 32, of Texas, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle. A Nevada judge handed down the sentence Friday for the death of Kevin Mendiola Jr., 22, who was killed during a shooting outside a 7-Eleven in Henderson, Nevada.
Prosecutors said McDonnell, his brother, and the brother’s then-wife carried out the rampage, with the woman driving while the men fired indiscriminately at vehicles. At the 7-Eleven, Mendiola died shielding his girlfriend and their 1-year-old child from gunfire.
One witness, who was shot as he exited the store, testified, “I call him Skeletor,” referring to McDonnell’s tattooed face.
Another woman recounted pleading for her life as McDonnell pointed his gun at her and her young daughter, saying he told her she was “lucky” before turning his attention to another vehicle.
The trio’s spree ended near Parker, Arizona, after their car rolled over during a shootout with law enforcement. Authorities said more than a dozen drivers were targeted.
Mendiola’s brother said the crime left his family with lasting scars. “Our lives will never be the same after this,” he said.
McDonnell’s brother awaits trial, and his ex-wife is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
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