ONSLOW COUNTY, -- A 29-year-old man who is convicted of killing his mother and her boyfriend in North Topsail Beach on New Year’ s day will spend the rest of his life in prison.

• McKinsey Britton plead guilty to killing his mother and her boyfriend
• Britton took a deal in exchange for not facing capital punishment
• He has been ordered to pay more than $5,000 in restitution

McKinsey Britton plead guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of his mother, 56-year-old Connie Britton. He also plead guilty to first-degree murder for killing 71-year-old Dowell Gray, for which he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.  

Britton took the deal in exchange for not facing capital punishment. His attorney said he was on five different drugs the night of the shooting, had two DWI convictions in the last three years and lost his job two days prior to the double murder back on Jan. 1 on 3^rd Ave.

District attorney Ernie Lee says Britton told police he put a gun to his own head when his mother said to kill her and the family before taking his own life. The 29-year-old said he planned to give away his dog before taking his own life, but was arrested before he could.

“It also doesn't minimize the fact that he killed two people. Obviously, I took all this into consideration when I decided what to do in this particular case, but still at a minimum, he killed two people and deserves a minimum of life without parole,” Lee said.

Judge Charles Henry ordered Britton to pay more than $5,000 in restitution to the victim’s families for funeral expenses. He also ordered Britton to receive mental health counseling while incarcerated at Central Prison in Raleigh.