Convicted triple murderer Andres ‘Andy’ Avalos Jr. gets more prison time

Convicted triple murderer Andres "Andy" Avalos Jr. has taken a plea deal for the attempted murder of a fellow inmate while he was awaiting trial at the Manatee County jail.

Avalos was found guilty on May 20 of first-degree murder in the fatal shootings of his neighbor, Denise Potter, 46, and the Rev. James “Tripp” Battle, 31, after a two-week-long trial. The jury also found him guilty of second-degree murder for beating, strangling, hanging and then shooting his wife, Amber Avalos, 33.

Avalos was sentenced to three life prison terms, without the possibility of parole, after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on whether Avalos should be executed.

Last week, Avalos had 15 years added to his prison sentence, after he pleaded no contest to an attempted murder charge in connection with stabbing of a fellow Manatee County jail inmate in December 2015 while Avalos was awaiting his murder trial.

Avalos was charged with the attempted murder for stabbing fellow inmate, Jesse “Green Eyes” Cruz. Just days after the first anniversary of his murder spree, Avalos stabbed Cruz with two sharpened toothbrushes in the head, face and neck because he was tired of Cruz bringing up things from the past, according to investigators.

The men knew each other from Avalos’ past involvement in gangs.

Avalos is currently at the Central Florida Reception Center in Orlando, where he is being evaluated before he is transferred to another prison.

This story was originally published July 26, 2017 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Convicted triple murderer Andres ‘Andy’ Avalos Jr. gets more prison time."