A Columbia man will spend the rest of his life in prison afterpleading guilty Wednesday to a capital murder charge in connectionwith the December 2000 shooting of a Hattiesburg man inTylertown.

Lutie Jordan, 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder by anhabitual offender and was sentenced by Judge Keith Starrett to lifein prison without the possibility of parole. Jordan’s trial was tostart Wednesday in Lincoln County after having been moved here fromWalthall County.

“There are no laws that allow him to be released early,” saidDistrict Attorney Danny Smith said after Wednesday’s court actionin Brookhaven.

Jordan was charged in the Dec. 15, 2000, shooting of Francis KayKnippers, a 56-year-old military veteran and construction companypilot who was visiting his elderly mother in Tylertown, Smithsaid.

Smith said Jordan, who has three prior felony convictions, andhis younger half-brother, Charles, spotted Knippers in the ColumbiaWal-Mart parking lot and followed him to Tylertown with intentionsof robbing the man. The shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. inKnippers’ mother’s yard.

Smith said it was unclear why Knippers was chosen.

“All the evidence indicates it was just at random,” the districtattorney said.

During the incident, Charles Jordan, whom Smith described as anunwilling passenger in the older Jordan’s car, panicked, took thevehicle and left Lutie Jordan to walk back to Columbia.

Charles Jordan pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact ofmurder and was sentenced to five years, Smith said. He was alsoprepared to testify in the murder trial against Lutie Jordan.

“His willingness to testify prompted Lutie Jordan to pleadguilty,” Smith said.

In investigating the case initially, Smith indicated thatauthorities had little to go on until they found a Wal-Mart storereceipt in Knippers’ vehicle.

Authorities went to Wal-Mart where FBI-enhanced storesurveillance tapes connected the Jordans to Knippers. Smith saidthe investigation was outstanding police work by the Tylertown andColumbia police departments and that he was appreciative toWal-Mart for the company’s cooperation and assistance in thecase.

After consulting with Knippers’ family members, Smith said hedid not seek the death penalty because appeals after a convictioncould take eight to 10 years before the case was concluded.Wednesday’s guilty plea and sentence allows the case to be resolvedand the family to move on, Smith said.