A Chicago man pleaded guilty Tuesday to shooting two men to death as they sat in a car in Minneapolis in April.

Brian Deshawn Morse, 22, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree intentional murder and is expected to be sentenced to 55 years in prison next month, according to the Hennepin County attorney's office.

Last week, a grand jury indicted him on first-degree murder charges. If he had been convicted on those charges, he would have automatically received life in prison without parole.

"This was swift justice for a vicious crime," Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said. "For no obvious reason, Mr. Morse decided to shoot two men who were old enough to be his father and who posed no threat to him. Accordingly, it is appropriate that he, too, will be an old man before he is eligible to be released."

According to the criminal complaint, Morse shot Odell Frazier, 47, and Eddie Pelmore, 56, both of Minneapolis, as they sat in Frazier's car in the 4500 block of Penn Avenue N. on April 8. Pelmore was intending to sell marijuana to Morse.

Morse shot both men several times and was then chased on foot by police. An officer saw Morse toss a handgun over a fence during the chase. The gun was recovered, and testing confirmed it was the murder weapon, Freeman's office said.

During his guilty plea, Morse admitted to shooting each man twice. However, he gave no real reason for the killings, Freeman said.

No charges have been filed against another man who was with Morse at the time of the shooting, but the investigation continues.

DAVID CHANEN