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Nebraska man who served time for killing wife 20 years ago admits to killing parents last year

Police say a 6-year-old niece hid under a couch and was able to identify John Dalton Jr. as the shooter.

OMAHA, Neb.— A Nebraska who had served time for killing his wife 20 years ago pleaded guilty on Monday to killing his parents and a niece last year.

Douglas County District Court records say 46-year-old John Dalton Jr. entered the pleas to three counts of first-degree murder and four weapons counts.

Image: John Dalton
This undated photo provided by the Omaha Police Department shows John Dalton Jr., in custody in Omaha, Nebraska.Omaha Police Department via AP / AP

Dalton was given three life sentences plus 197 to 230 years in prison — nearly the maximum sentence allowed.

Prosecutors say he shot John Dalton Sr., 70, Jean Dalton, 65, and Leonna Dalton-Phillip, 18, in Omaha last December. Police say a 6-year-old niece hid under a couch and was able to identify John Dalton Jr. as the shooter. He was captured in Jackson, Tennessee.

Records say Dalton pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 1998 shooting of his wife, Shannon Dalton. He was imprisoned, and paroled in 2010.