Plea seen in triple slaying in N.H.

The father of one of three men shot dead last month in a military surplus store in Conway, N.H., said yesterday that the accused shooter has agreed to plead guilty and spend the rest of his life in prison.

Kenny Jones of Walpole, whose 25-year-old son, William, was killed at the store on July 2, said in an interview last night that the New Hampshire attorney general's office told him yesterday that Michael Woodbury had agreed to serve three consecutive life sentences without parole.

Woodbury, 31, of Windham, Maine, was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of the store's manager and two customers from Massachusetts.

Woodbury publicly admitted to the killings while being escorted to a courthouse in Maine last month after being captured in that state.

Woodbury was transferred from Carroll County Jail in Ossipee to the state prison in Concord as part of the deal, Jones said.

"I don't care what prison he stays in, as long as he stays in it forever," Jones said. "I hope he rots in prison."

News of the plea deal was reported by other media late yesterday. The New Hampshire attorney general's office did not return calls seeking comment.

William Jones's friend, Gary Jones, 23, of Plymouth, and the store's owner, James Walker, 34, of Denmark, Maine, were also killed in the shooting. William Jones of Walpole and Gary Jones were not related.