BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) – A man set to stand trial for the 2009 slaying of the executive director of the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art has pleaded no contest and been sentenced to life in prison.

Jury selection had been scheduled to begin Monday in the capital murder trial of 21-year-old Ernesto Ivan Martinez of Brownsville when he pleaded no contest to murder.

Prosecutors say Martinez stabbed Barry Horn dozens of times while at the victim’s home. Martinez later said it was retaliation for an earlier alleged assault by Horn.

Martinez, who fled after the killing, could have faced the death penalty if convicted of capital murder. He was captured in Matamoros, Mexico.

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