TEMPLE, Texas — Theodore Dwayne Sims, 47, plead guilty to capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon Thursday.
He was sentenced to life in prison for the capital murder charge and received 20 years for the aggravated assault.
He will not have the possibility of parole.
In the courtroom the victims' families broke out in tears as they faced Sims and explained how he changed their lives forever.
"You destroyed the lives of 2 families. We want you to suffer just like we'll suffer for the rest of our lives," said Robert Pellerin's father.
"You took away a young father who was working late to take care of his family because you thought he didn't deserve to come home. He will live on in heaven and in our hearts forever," said Cody Glenn Cornell's widow, Shelby Cornell.
Assistant District Attorney Fred Burns called the sentencing justice.
"A loss like this never goes away. It's an emotional day and there are no winners in a situation like this. But we've respected what the families wanted out of this process. I think the key was to make sure the killer never got out of prison and that the killer dies there," said Burns.
Bell County District Attorney Henry Garza said this will lead to safer streets in our area.
"He's gone and that leads to community safety for Bell County residents and let's the families know that this individual will not do this again," said Garza.
Sims killed two employees at the Temple O'Reilly Auto Parts located at 1720 SW HK Dodgen Loop in 2018, where he used to work before quitting in late 2017.
According to the arrest affidavit, an employee at a Temple pawnshop told police Sims came in and asked for the "cheapest shotgun" he could buy, spending $145 on a 12-gauge shotgun.
Sims was believed to have worn a ski mask to a Belton NAPA store and threatened an assistant manager and another employee with a shotgun, according to an arrest affidavit. Both employees were able to run away.
Sims was fired from the same NAPA store a week before the incident for stealing.
Sims went to the O'Rielly's, bound 35-year-old Robert Pellerin III and 25-year-old Cody Glenn Cornell with duct tape and shot them in their heads before stealing money from the register, the affidavit said.
The affidavit said the victims' bodies were found outside the store after their significant others called 911 to report neither had come home after work. When officers arrived, they found the store unlocked, the lights on and no shell casings inside.
Later, Sims checked into a Killeen hotel where a housekeeper found a blood-soaked was cloth stashed under the bathroom sink, according to the arrest affidavit.
Sims was arrested in Harker Heights after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Police searched his vehicle and found a bloody 12-gauge shotgun, spent shell casings, bloody shoes and pants and plastic bags similar to the ones used for finances at O'Reilly's. The affidavit also mentioned drops of human blood being found on the driver's side floorboard, the door and the console.
Police also found $258 in his wallet and a packet containing $1,970.
Sims was taken to the Bell County Jail, charged with capital murder of multiple persons and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.