Alabama church shooter gets life for killing 3 at potluck

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to life in prison without parole in the killing of three people at an Alabama church dinner in June. AL.com reports 71-year-old Robert Findlay Smith pleaded guilty to capital murder on Tuesday. He also waived his right to appeal. Smith was indicted in the June 16, 2022, shootings of 84-year-old Walter “Bart” Rainey, of Irondale; 75-year-old Sarah Yeager, of Pelham; and 84-year-old Jane Pounds, of Hoover. They were killed during a potluck dinner at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills. Defense attorney Emory Anthony apologized on Smith’s behalf and thanked the victims’ families for agreeing to allow him to plead to life.