Man faces 3 life sentences for Indianapolis ‘Purge’ killing spree

INDIANAPOLIS – An Indianapolis man is facing three consecutive life sentences for killing three people over four days in attacks that authorities say he justified by citing the horror movie, The Purge.

A Marion County judge is scheduled Thursday to formally sentence 20-year-old Johnathan Cruz, who pleaded guilty last month to three counts of murder. Prosecutors dropped plans to seek the death penalty.

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READ MORE: ‘The Purge’ inspired 19-year-old’s 4-day killing spree, authorities say

Cruz was charged with fatally shooting three men during attacks on Indianapolis’ east and north sides last spring. Detectives say a witness told them Cruz confessed he’d been “purging” by shooting and robbing people, referring to the 2013 movie with a plot about violent crime, including murder, being legal one night each year.

Prosecutor Terry Curry says the attacks by Cruz were “absolutely random.”