A prosecutor in Louisiana chose not to pursue the death penalty against three murder suspects — so the elderly victim’s widower wouldn’t have to wait out a lengthy trial to see justice done, a new report says.

A jury in East Baton Rouge Parish had indicted three men from rural Ethel on Wednesday in the March 21 murder of 73-year-old Frances Jane Schultz. The victim was bound with duct tape and shot several times in the head after a burglary at the Zachary home she shared with her husband Art, The Advocate reports.

The suspects — brothers Adrian “Rat” Curtis, 24, and Courtland “Marlow” Curtis, 25, as well as friend Donevan Germain “Nunnie” Brown, 22 — were indicted on aggravated burglary and second-degree murder charges instead of first-degree murder, which typically sets off a lengthy legal battle.

East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III said he met with Schultz’s husband, Art Schultz, 76, and the couple’s adult son on multiple occasions to discuss the decision to not seek capital punishment in the case, despite the fact that both he and the widower believe the death penalty is appropriate if the men were ultimately convicted of first-degree murder.

But “based on his age, [Art Schultz] wanted to see justice done before his life ends,” Moore said in explaining the decision to seek the other charges.

Art Schultz told The Advocate he found his wife of 54 years dead after returning from a friend’s funeral and stopping at a McDonald’s to pick her up food. He found her tied up in their living room with head injuries, he told the newspaper in late March.

“A good country girl who would do anything for anybody,” he said of his wife. “We spent our lives together.”

Authorities have said Adrian Curtis was previously hired by Art Schultz to bale hay on the couple’s property.

After forcing their way inside the couple’s home, all three men allegedly tied up Frances Schultz before raiding the home for valuables. Courtland Curtis then used one gun stolen from the residence to shoot the woman several times, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said.