Baltimore ? A 35-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday to murdering five older residents during six years under a plea deal that let him avoid a possible death penalty.

Under a deal with prosecutors, Raymont Hopewell will receive four consecutive terms of life imprisonment without parole in four of the deaths when he is sentenced next month.

The four women and one man, who ranged in age from early 60s to 88, were found dead in their homes between February 1999 and August 2005. The women had been raped. DNA evidence led to Hopewell’s arrest a month after the last death, of Carlton Crawford, 83.

Hopewell, whose arrest record dates to 1989 and includes drug possession, assault and battery, didn’t speak during his court appearance.