Charleston , Kanawha County , West Virginia

Eyewitness News was the first tv station to take you inside the sniper war room, and now we continue to dig deeper.

Tuesday we showed you the room where investigators compiled their massive case against Shawn Lester.

Lester pleaded guilty to second degree murder; nine years after Jeanie Patton, Gary Carrier and Okey Meadows Junior were killed outside of gas stations in the Kanawha Valley.

Charleston Police Lt. Steve Cooper led the investigation and says there was never a time the case went cold. After they closed in on Lester last year, Cooper says he rarely took a day off and grew close to family members of the victims who were desperate for answers.

"They loved their daughter, they loved their sister, they loved their son and they loved their brother. You watched them suffer, you watched them agonize, and before this was solved, you watched them agonize over not knowing what happened," says Lt. Cooper.

Lester will be sentenced August 31st. He could face anywhere from ten to 40 years. The prosecution has recommended 30 years.

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