TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - The man who was arrested for fatally stabbing his mother in a Tallahassee hospital room has been indicted on first degree murder charges.
Alexander Sparks, 22, is accused of killing his mother, Liese Sparks, at Capital Regional Memorial Center.
The indictment was handed down by a grand jury on Tuesday.
Sparks was initially charged with second-degree murder but the charges were upgraded to a capital felony, documents saying the "killing was perpetrated from or with a premeditated design."
With the second-degree murder charge, Sparks would have been facing a maximum of life in prison with a minimum of 10 years under sentencing guidelines for a person with a clean record.
A first-degree murder charge is punishable by life in prison without parole or even death, however State Attorney Jack Campbell says he will not be seeking the death penalty.
He says the state is choosing not to seek the death penalty due to a variety of factors, to include Sparks' lack of criminal history, the facts of the crime, and most importantly, the defendant's mental health status.
Sparks is due in court for arraignment on April 10, 2018.
