A 9-year-old girl was spared the ordeal of reliving her family's massacre after the man accused in the murders pleaded guilty Monday in a deal with Idaho prosecutors.
 
On the day jury selection was supposed to begin in convicted sex offender Joseph Duncan's death penalty trial, Duncan instead pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of kidnapping for the deaths of Brenda Groene, 40, her son Slade, 13, and Brenda's boyfriend Mark McKenzie, 37, in May 2005.

As the sole survivor of the attack, Shasta Groene was expected to testify as a key witness for the state. But the plea deal ensures that Shasta will not have to face the man she claims kidnapped and molested her and her 9-year-old brother, Dylan, after the murders.

Duncan was arrested in July 2005 at a Denny's restaurant outside Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where a waitress spotted him with Shasta. Dylan's remains were discovered later at a campsite in Montana.

"Because Duncan's guilty pleas cannot be withdrawn, Shasta will never be required to relive the events of 2005 in a courtroom," Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney William Douglas said in a press release. "This case has left deep scars, and hopefully, this agreement will bring justice and closure to our community."

In an agreement reached over the weekend, Duncan, 43, will receive three consecutive life sentences on the kidnapping charges, which stem from the manner in which Duncan detained the victims before their deaths. His sentencing on the murder charges has been delayed until the completion of his case in federal court for crimes that allegedly occurred against Shasta and Dylan Groene after they were kidnapped from the family's home.

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Duncan could still face the death penalty when he is formally indicted in federal court. Duncan's federal public defender, Roger Peven, told CourtTVnews.com that he expects an indictment later this week.

As part of the agreement, Douglas also entered into the record a factual basis for the plea detailing the bloody crime scene that authorities discovered on May 16, 2005.

Surveillance video of Joseph Duncan with Shasta Groene

"Slade was face down, dressed only in underwear. His head lay at the feet of his mother, Brenda," Douglas wrote. "His bludgeoned head lay in a blood pool."

Both Brenda and Slade Groene were found lying face-down with their hands bound behind them with zip-ties. Brenda's feet were also bound with duct tape.

"Beneath her head was a blanket saturated with blood and other skull matter," Douglas wrote.

Mark McKenzie was also bound at the wrists and ankles with zip-ties. All three victims died from multiple blunt traumas to their heads.

According to the document, Shasta told police that Duncan tied her up, tied up her 9-year-old brother, Dylan, and brought them outside, where she could hear McKenzie yelling in pain. She said she saw Slade walking around "acting injured."

She said Duncan told her he had been staking out the family's home for at least two days before he launched his attack with the goal of abducting the two younger children.

After Duncan's arrest, police seized several items from his rented Jeep Cherokee, including McKenzie's wallet, a bag of zip-ties, a sawed-off shotgun, handwritten letters signed Dylan and Shasta, a digital camera and a laptop.

Douglas' agreement also requires that Duncan provide authorities with the encryption code to access secure files on the computer.

"We're satisfied with the negotiated settlement that was reached on Mr. Duncan's behalf," Duncan's public defender, John Adams, told CourtTVnews.com.