Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Payton Gendron pleaded guilty on Monday to shooting to death 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket in May.
Gendron entered the guilty plea in state court where he faced 10 counts of first-degree murder, 10 counts of second-degree murder as a hate crime, and three counts of attempted murder as a hate crime, along with other charges.
"Thank God the families and the victims who survived this and this community don't have to endure a long, protracted trial," Erie County District Attorney John Flynn said after the hearing.
"Nothing will ever bring back the 10 beautiful people who lost their lives on that day. This past Thursday on Thanksgiving, there were 10 empty chairs at the Thanksgiving dinner ... I can never provide full closure. There's never going to be full closure for the families."
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