Court records show Earnest Atwood Jr. entered the plea Tuesday in Lyon Circuit Court. He has been incarcerated since May 2017, when police found 51-year-old Lisa Pace shot to death inside her Eddyville home. Atwood was arrested a short time later in Hopkins County on a DUI charge, and was driving Pace's car at the time.
Police said Atwood and Pace were distant relatives.
Atwood will have to serve a 65-year sentence as part of his plea deal. Formal sentencing is set for Feb. 8.
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Princeton Man Charged in Murder of Eddyville Woman
