Jared Lee Loughner Sentenced To Life Without Parole
Jared Lee Loughner will never again see the outside of a prison cell.
Loughner, who plead guilty earlier this year for the deadly shooting rampage that nearly killed US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences and an additional 140 years in prison. US District Judge Larry Burns also said that Loughner had no hope for parole.
Loughner was confronted by several of his victims, including Giffords, today in court. Giffords chose not to talk but her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, read a statement on her behalf.
“Her life has been forever changed. Plans she had for our family and her career have been immeasurably altered. Every day is a continuous struggle to do those things she once was so good at … Mr. Loughner, you may have put a bullet through her head but you haven’t put a dent in her spirit and her commitment to make the world a better place … You tried to create a world as dark and evil as your own. Remember this: You failed.”
The Huffington Post reports that Loughner pleaded guilty earlier this year to 19 federal charges. The plea deal saw 30 additional charges against him get dismissed but guaranteed that Loughner would spend the rest of his life in prison.
During his shooting spree at a rally in Tuscon, Arizona, Loughner killed John Roll, 63, Gabe Zimmerman, 30, Christina-Taylor Green, 9, Dorwan Stoddard, 76, Dorothy Morris, 76, and Phyllis Schneck, 79.
Loughner also injured several other people during the shooting and several of them showed up in court today to witness his sentencing.
Susan Hileman, who was shot three times during the attack, said:
“You pointed a weapon and shot me three times … And now I walked out of this courtroom and into the rest of my life and I won’t think of you again”
