Story highlights Todd Kohlhepp reaches plea deal

Pleads guilty to 7 killings, other charges

(CNN) A South Carolina real estate agent accused of killing seven people over 13 years -- four in 2003 and three found last year on his property -- pleaded guilty Friday to seven counts of murder.

a shipping container at his farm near Woodruff, also pleaded guilty in the Spartanburg County courthouse to two counts of kidnapping and one count of criminal sexual assault. Todd Kohlhepp, who was arrested in November after police rescued a woman found insidea shipping container at his farm near Woodruff, also pleaded guilty in the Spartanburg County courthouse to two counts of kidnapping and one count of criminal sexual assault.

In a plea deal reached with prosecutors, Kohlhepp would avoid the death penalty and instead receive seven consecutive life sentences, plus 30 years for the sexual assault charge and 30 years for kidnapping.

The deal was read in court, where the defendant was sentenced.

Authorities say they believe Kohlhepp is responsible for the long-unsolved killings of four people at a Chesnee motorcycle shop and three other killings that they discovered only last year as they rescued the woman.

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