Marion man pleads guilty to 'cold-blooded' church murder

See a previous report on Christian Gutierrez's arrest in the video player above.

MARION, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Marion man's guilty plea has resulted in the county prosecutor pulling back from requesting the death penalty, according to a Friday release from his office.

Prosecuting Attorney Raymond Grogan Jr. said that Christian Gutierrez -- 19 at the time of the crime -- has pleaded guilty to aggravated murder in a Marion County courtroom. Gutierrez was on trial for the March 9, 2022, shooting death of Charles Feliciano, 27, in a church parking lot off North Main Street. Police found Gutierrez days later in a Delaware Quality Inn and arrested him.

"It was intentional and cold-blooded," Grogan said. "Until now, Gutierrez denied it."

The change in his plea influenced Grogan to make a key change in his prosecution plan.

"I was ready to ask a jury to send him to death row for his calculated act of criminal cruelty," Grogan said. "While Gutierrez deserves the death penalty, a jury’s decision to order it would’ve been the beginning of decades of slow appeals."

After pleading guilty, Grogan's and Gutierrez's defense teams agreed on a sentence of 28 years to life in prison, and the judge ordered it. The prosecuting attorney said Gutierrez will be unable to appeal the sentence.

Faith N. Scheitler, 18, also of Marion, was arrested along with Gutierrez and charged with obstructing justice. Grogan had not shared an update on her case as of Friday.