A 71-year-old man pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced to life without parole Tuesday in the shooting deaths of three people at an Alabama church potluck supper.

Robert Findlay Smith entered his guilty plea Tuesday afternoon before Jefferson County Circuit Judge Kandice Pickett. The Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office consulted with the family of the three victims before offering the plea to Smith earlier this month.

District Attorney Danny Carr and Chief Deputy District Attorney Joe Roberts prosecuted the case. Smith was represented by attorneys Emory Anthony and Moses Stone.

Smith was charged and indicted in the June 16, 2022, shootings of Walter “Bart” Rainey, 84, of Irondale; Sarah Yeager, 75, of Pelham; and Jane Pounds, 84, of Hoover.

“I live the night of June 16 over and over and I probably always will,” said widow Linda Rainey. “It was a senseless, evil act of murder.”

Anthony, on his Smith’s behalf, said he wanted to apologize and asked for family’s forgiveness. Smith did not speak during the hearing except to say “yes ma’am,” “no ma’am” and “guilty”

Police responded that Thursday to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills on a report of an active shooter. It happened during a “Boomers Potluck” dinner that started at 5 p.m. at the church.

Here is our full coverage of the case

There were about 25 people at the dinner in the parish hall including Smith, who had previously attended the church and at least one of the potluck dinners.

Smith was sitting alone, and a longtime church member approached him and invited him to sit at a table, said the Rev. Doug Carpenter, who founded the church in 1973 and retired in 2005. He identified himself to victim Rainey only as “Mr. Smith” and refused to join them.

Smith then pulled out a handgun and shot three people. Jim Musgrove, a church member, hit the shooter with a chair and wrestled the gun away from him.

Rainey was pronounced dead on the scene. Yeager and Pounds were taken to UAB Hospital where they later died.

This story will be updated following today’s court proceedings.