VIDALIA — The Natchez man accused of gunning down his estranged wife and her friend in Vidalia pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder Wednesday and will spend the rest of his life in prison for the crime.

Curt Thornton’s plea came on the second day of his trial.

Seventh Judicial District Judge John Reeves sentenced Curt Thornton to two life sentences to run consecutive to each other without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.

Thornton, 35, pleaded guilty to charges he killed Angela Thornton, 36, shooting her five times, and John Tibbs, 36, shooting him once. Both Angela Thornton and Tibbs were killed at the Thorntons’ 1649 Azalea Drive residence in Vidalia, while the Thorntons’ children were asleep in the residence.

The plea and subsequent sentence did not placate family members of the victims.

Tibbs’ mother Sandra Longmire said she feels sorry for Curt Thornton’s family and the children, but she did not have remorse for Curt Thornton.

“You killed my life,” Longmire said. “You killed any hope he had of helping anyone else. You know how he was. I don’t know why you had to go in there and just start shooting.”

Longmire said she would have gone for the death penalty as she looked at Curt Thornton and he didn’t react.

“You really don’t deserve to keep breathing,” Longmire said. “I feel very sorry for your kids and your family but you, you had no right. Even if you had just caught Angie with someone, you had no right.”

Peggy Strickland Blount, who is married to Howard Blount, Angela Thornton’s father, said Curt Thornton has done the right thing in pleading so the families did not have to continue to relive the suffering.

“I think the people most drastically affected by his actions are the children,” Blount said. “He claimed he loved them, but if he really loved them, he wouldn’t go in and murder their mother and her good friend.

“He’s guilty. He knew he was guilty and I think the decision he made to not put the families through this trial was a good decision. May God have mercy on his soul.”

With tears in his eyes, Howard Blount said he wanted to thank everyone involved during this whole investigation.

“I want everybody to know what they have done for me,” Howard Blount said. “Everybody in the process, Vidalia Police, the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office, the courthouse, the judge, the district attorney, everybody.”

Curt Thornton’s sister Kristin Thornton has had the two children since the murder and she said she has custody and the children, who are 9 and 7 years old now, are doing well.

“They are in a better environment than they have ever been in,” she said. “There is structure, there are no drugs or anything like that. They are on the president’s list, honor roll, and they have more love than they have ever had. They need it.”

Peggy Blount said the two children are doing well in Kristin Thornton’s care, and that as grandparents they do have visitation rights.

“We are proud of Kristin for stepping up to the plate,” Peggy Blount said. “Kristin is doing a good job with them.”

Judge Reeves said he was glad to hear the children would be taken care of. He said this case has been difficult for him.

“My heart goes out to the families,” Reeves said. “It is just heart wrenching, no family should ever have to go through that.”

Before Thornton was sentenced, Seventh Judicial District Attorney Brad Burget told the courtroom Curt Thornton was separated from his wife, and was upset about her alleged infidelity and her moving on with her life. Curt Thornton bought a .44-caliber rifle, Burget said, and on on the day of the murders, sometime between 3:30 and 4 a.m., he went to the Vidalia residence.

Burget said Curt Thornton took a propane torch and cut a hole in the glass of the backdoor, using the gun to knock out the glass and then he kicked the door open.

Curt Thornton confronted John Tibbs and Angela Thornton in the dining room and living room area of the residence, where he shot Tibbs.

Burget said Tibbs was not Angela Thornton’s boyfriend but had grown up with her and helped with the children.

Tibbs was shot once and Angela Thornton four times, Burget said.

Once Angela Thornton was face down on the ground, Burget said Curt Thornton stood directly over her and shot her one more time.

Curt Thornton then fled the residence on his motorcycle.

An Amite County Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled him over for not wearing a helmet. Once stopped, Burget said Curt Thornton confessed to the deputy and then later that day, after helping retrieve the rifle and other items in two locations, confessed to Vidalia Police Department investigator Clint Robinson.

Burget said between text messages with Curt Thornton and his sister, Kristin Thornton, an acquaintance, Facebook posts Curt Thornton made and other testimony that it was evident this killing was not spur of the moment.

“He had been thinking about it and brewing,” Burget said. “This was cold blooded murder.  He bought the gun the day before, went over and killed those two people out of anger. A reasonable person wouldn’t have done that.”

Curt Thornton’s attorney Darrell Hickman said his client made the decision to plead guilty.

“I guess he came to the conclusion that whether he got manslaughter or murder, he wouldn’t get out of prison anyway,” Hickman said. “So he just wanted to get it over with.”

In addition to the sentence given, Reeves said Curt Thornton should receive a psychiatric evaluation and Reeves would request Curt Thornton be allowed to remain in Concordia Parish until Friday to give him one last opportunity to see his children.