The suspect in the January 2011 shooting in Arizona that wounded a U.S. congresswoman and killed six others has pleaded guilty in court.

Jared Lee Loughner's guilty plea Tuesday in Tucson, Arizona, allows him to avoid the death penalty for the crime. The shooting gained international attention last year because U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords was Loughner's intended target.

A federal judge in Arizona ruled Loughner mentally incompetent to stand trial last year after he spent five weeks at a hospital undergoing psychiatric evaluations.

The Los Angeles Times reports that officials believe Loughner is now competent enough to understand the charges against him. He is expected to be sentenced to life in prison without parole.