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Shootings suspect could face 100 years in prison

Posted at 6:37 PM, Sep 30, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-30 21:37:39-04

A man suspected in some of the freeway shootings that rattled the Phoenix area could go to prison for 100 years if convicted.

FULL COVERAGE: Phoenix freeway shootings

Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said Wednesday each of the four shootings that 21-year-old Leslie Allen Merritt Jr. is accused of committing carries a possible sentence of 20 to 30 years.

Montgomery says investigators continue to review information and more charges are possible.

He called Merritt's arrest "significant" enough that the public can rest easy.

Merritt, of suburban Glendale, has said he is innocent.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on 15 felony counts, including aggravated assault and carrying out a drive-by shooting.

Authorities say the shootings are among 11 incidents that occurred on Phoenix-area freeways between Aug. 22 and Sept. 10.