A man accused of murdering a beloved Jacksonville music teacher plead guilty to all charges Thursday, avoiding the death penalty and is instead heading to prison for life.
Adam Lawson Jr. was charged first-degree murder in the death of Deborah Liles, found beaten to death inside her Panama Park home in March 2017.
Liles husband, Mike Liles, died last year, but her 5 children were in court and gave victim impact statements in addition to showing a memorial video.
"He did not just kill my mom, he slaughtered her, he destroyed her," Liles' daughter Michelle told the court.
“I don’t want my mom to be a story at all. If I start telling stories about her it feels like she is just a character."
She told the judge that Lawson was being offered mercy, and requested that Judge Lance Bass order him to serve his time in solitary confinement.
Lawson did not speak beyond his guilty plea.
Video previously released of an interview with Lawson just prior to his arrest shows him growing more agitated the longer he waited.
“What the hell is going on,” Lawson remarked to himself. “Someone please come and talk to me.”
The State Attorney’s Office also released thousands of photographs, depicting what investigators found when the entered Liles’ home. The photos show a lifeless Liles in her kitchen with the alleged murder weapon, a golf club, nearby.
The State Attorney's Office is scheduled to speak about this case at 4 pm Thursday. Stay with First Coast News as this story develops.