Man accused of killing 5 at Ft. Lauderdale airport to plead guilty, avoid death penalty
Esteban Santiago, 28, originally pleaded not guilty.
The Alaska man charged with shooting and killing five people at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport last year agreed today to plead guilty and serve a life sentence.
Prosecutors agreed to stop considering the death penalty for Esteban Santiago, 28, who originally pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the January 2017 shooting.
![PHOTO: Esteban Santiago, center, is led from the Broward County jail for an arraignment in federal court, Monday, Jan. 30, 2017, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/AP-esteban-santiago-florida-hb-170130_hpEmbed_2_23x16_992.jpg)
The announcement came at a hearing in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
A change-of-plea hearing is expected to be scheduled after a May 23 hearing to determine whether Santiago is mentally fit to change his plea to guilty.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/estaban-santiago-rt-jt-180501_hpEmbed_7x5_992.jpg)
Santiago has been treated for schizophrenia since his arrest.
Santiago flew into Fort Lauderdale from Anchorage, retrieved a handgun from his checked luggage, loaded it in a bathroom and came out firing, prosecutors said. He told the FBI he was under government mind-control at the time.