LAS VEGAS — A man accused in a series of stabbings on the Las Vegas Strip in 2022 that left two people dead and six injured has pleaded guilty but mentally ill to murder and terrorism charges.

The victims included performers dressed as showgirls and tourists.

Yoni Barrios, 34, entered his pleas Thursday as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Barrios also pleaded guilty but mentally ill to attempted murder and battery charges. He is expected to be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Scott Coffee, his attorney, said after the court hearing in Las Vegas that the plea agreement “recognizes what everybody in the system knew — that this was the result of mental illness that caused paranoia.”

Authorities say the unprovoked attack in October 2022 began when Barrios stabbed a group of performers dressed as showgirls near the Wynn Las Vegas hotel and casino, killing one of them.

— The Associated Press