WARREN, Pa. — James A. McDaniel will spend the rest of his life in state prison.

On Friday, McDaniel entered a plea of guilty to a charge of murder in the first degree in the February 2016 death of Marcus Mattson in Russell, Pa.

In exchange for the plea, District Attorney Rob Greene agreed to take the death penalty off the table for homicide and to not prosecute the other charges McDaniel was facing — reckless burning or exploding; conspiracy; reckless burning or exploding; theft by unlawful taking; abuse of a corpse; and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

“Pleading to first degree murder is a just resolution to this case,” Greene said.

He said he had discussed the agreement with the victim’s family and that the decision to move forward with the plea was in part to save them from “having to go through the ordeal of a trial.”

Greene said the prosecution would not pursue charges against McDaniel’s wife, Ailasha McDaniel, saying that, although she may have been aware of the murder, she did not share any culpability.

President Judge Maureen Skerda presided over the plea and sentencing proceeding. Skerda informed McDaniel of his rights following a plea and his right to trial.

“You have the right to go to trial on all the charges,” she said. “This was a death-penalty case in the event you went to trial.”

“If you decide to plead guilty today, you give up” the right to a trial, Skerda said.

After a plea agreement, there are four bases for appeal: jurisdiction; the legality and appropriateness of the sentence; the competence of his representation, and whether the plea was entered freely, voluntarily, and intelligently.

Skerda asked McDaniel several questions, starting with why he was in court. “To plead guilty to murder in the first degree,” he said.

Asked if he was satisfied with the efforts of his attorneys, Fred Hummel and John Ingros, McDaniel said, “Yeah. They’re great.”

Skerda said McDaniel was accused, specifically, of shooting “the victim, MM, causing the victim’s death. Do you admit to that conduct?”

“Yes, ma’am,” McDaniel said.

“How do you plead?” she asked.

“Guilty.”

Skerda accepted the plea. When given an opportunity to make a statement prior to sentencing, McDaniel declined.

From that, “the court can conclude that there’s really no remorse,” Skerda said. “You seem to be comfortable with the sentence.”

“There’s nothing that the court can do to bring back Marcus,” Skerda said. “Nothing is more important to this court than seeing justice is done for the victim in this case.”

“In terms of your life, your life is over as you know it as well,” she said.

Skerda went over McDaniel’s record while in jail, including an assault, contraband, throwing hot water at another inmate.

She also read a report that McDaniel had attempted to commit suicide while in Warren County Jail. McDaniel confirmed that and that he has seen a therapist and has been taking anti-depressant medication since.

“You’re a danger to society,” she said. “You’re a poor candidate for any kind of rehabilitation.”

The only sentencing options for first-degree murder are death or life in prison; with a fine of up to $50,000.

McDaniel will pay fees and the costs of prosecution, restitution for funeral expenses in the amount of $5,345.68 and $6,286.24 for a vehicle that was burned, and a fine of $3,000.

“You are sentenced to a period of life without the possibility of parole in a state correctional institution,” Skerda said. “That sentence begins today.”