ASHEVILLE- N.C. – Prosecutors will not pursue the death penalty for a man convicted of killing his pregnant girlfriend, according to a North Carolina district attorney.

• North Carolina prosecutors will not pursue the death penalty against Nathaniel Dixon.
• Dixon was convicted of killing Candace Pickens and injuring her 3-year-old son.
• A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 16.

The family of the murder victim persuaded prosecutors not to pursue the death penalty for Nathaniel Dixon, a district attorney said.

The 27-year-old was convicted of murder and other charges last month, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Prosecutors said Dixon shot 22-year-old Candace Pickens and her 3-year-old son in 2016. The boy lost his left eye and suffered a traumatic brain injury. At the time, Pickens was in her first trimester of pregnancy.

Prosecutors met with Pickens’ family where they told prosecutors they oppose the death penalty and said life in prison without parole was a sufficient punishment.

Dixon’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 16.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.