A Courtland man is expected to spend life in prison for murdering his father and stepmother.

Joe Charles “Jay” Joyner, 37, entered an Alford plea in Isle of Wight County Circuit Court this week in response to charges that he killed Joe Joyner, 62, and his wife, Sandra, 58, at their home in Carrsville on April 26.

In a deal, the prosecution agreed to drop the death penalty in return for the plea.

Joyner’s Alford plea means he claims he didn’t do the crime, yet he agrees there’s enough evidence to convict him. The judge has yet to certify the plea.

Investigators said Jay Joyner beat Sandra Joyner to death inside the elder couple’s home at 31334 Walters Highway. Joe Joyner, a 2011 candidate for county supervisor in the Carrsville District, was found dead in the woods behind the home. A shotgun was used to shoot him in the head.