STROUDSBURG -- In a surprise guilty plea, a man admitted to murdering two of his neighbors. He will now spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Garry Flyte admits shooting and killing two of his neighbors in March 2014 near Kunkletown.
Flyte's attorneys say he was mentally ill when it all happened.
Garry Flyte had no words of sympathy as he walked out of a Monroe County courtroom. The man from the Kunkletown area pleaded guilty to first-degree murder while mentally ill.
He admitted killing two of his neighbors -- Jeffrey Place and his son Steven Place -- in March of 2014.
The murders happened along Meixsell Valley Road.
"Mental illness played a role in the acts that this defendant carried out but they do not excuse the horrible crime that he inflicted," said Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Curtis Rogers.
According to court papers, Flyte not only shot and killed the two men and the family dog named Camp, but also looked for his neighbor Wendy Place because he wanted to kill her, too, but she managed to hide.
After shooting his neighbors, Flyte went back to his home, put the gun on his couch and called 911.
At a court hearing last year, troopers testified that Flyte said voices told him to do it.
"We would love to know if mental health treatment or intervention could have played some role in preventing this. Unfortunately, we can't answer that," said Rogers.
At Flyte's sentencing, a psychiatrist and a psychologist testified that Flyte now has his mental illness under control; he is not believed to be a danger to himself or others.
Family members and close friends packed the courtroom. Two stood up and told Flyte they could never forgive him for what he had done or the pain he caused.
"We hope that this will be some very small step to allow them to begin to move forward, but they will certainly and understandably will never get past this," Rogers added.
A judge sentenced Flyte to life in prison without parole.
Because Flyte is not a clear and present danger to himself or others, he'll do his time in state prison instead of a mental health facility.
