Passaic, NJ man gets LWOP for ax murder of wife

A Passaic, New Jersey man was sentenced to life without parole Tuesday, October 12 for the ax murder of his wife as she ran from her own home onto a street. What made the attack worse was that the victim, Luisa Emilia Chireno, was killed as her children cowered in terror in their room. Police were able to follow a trail of hair and blood, left as the murdered struck the victi in the back with an ax and pulled out her hair.

[34-year-old Fernando] Chireno was convicted of murder in June, after jurors rejected his insanity defense. The victim, who was 26 when she died, had a restraining order against him because of past domestic violence. She ran for her life from her Myrtle Avenue home on April 18, 2008, after Chireno broke in. The couple's children were left in the bedroom as Mrs. Chireno was stabbed 15 times and left in a pool of blood on the street. She died a short time later in surgery.

Before sentencing, Chireno "apologized " to the victim's mother, Carlita Pozo. “From the deepness of my heart, I am sorry. I lost my mind. I was having problems and no one was helping me. I know nothing is going to give you your daughter back, but I, too, lost her. Please, I ask from my heart that you forgive me.”

Judge Reddin issued this statement while handing down the LWOP sentence. “It boggles my mind to think that a human being could do to another human being what he did to Luisa Chireno This was not a spur-of-the-moment attack. He went out and bought the ax. He goes to her house at 2 in the morning. He ripped the hair right out of her head. That’s the savagery of this crime, He buried that ax in her back, and he walked away from the scene.”

Pozo fainted after the sentencing and had to be led out of the courtroom.

Eastpointe, MI woman's killer "boyfriend" sentenced to life without parole

A 48 year old man was sentenced to life without parole Tuesday, August 17 by Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Edward Servitto for bludgeoning then suffocating his baby's mama to death with a vacuum cleaner and trying to hide the body in his car trunk.  Latoya Lowery, 35, was murdered around January 11 after an argument in which 48 year old David Cook struck her in the head with the vacuum cleaner. After she stayed alive, Cook finished her off by suffocating her. Lowery was reported missing January 11, and her body was found January 14. Cook was convicted of  1st degree murder by a jury in July. Cook had two children with Lowery.

Husband of postdoc student sentenced to 27 to life for murder, arson

A New Zealand native who stabbed his wife in a state park and set fire to her body to cover up evidence will serve 27 to life in the New York state prison system. Blazej Kot, a Cornell University graduate student and New Zealand native, was sentenced by Tompkins County Judge John Rowley June 16 on charges of 2nd degree murder, 3rd degree arson, and tampering with evidence. Kot was convicted by a jury on April 20 on these charges after a three and a half week trial. The defense tried, but failed to prove that Kot was under extreme emotional distress.

His victim was Dr. Caroline Coffey, a postdoctoral student at the Cornell University College Of Veterinary Medicine. Her father, Michael Coffey, carried her ashes into the courtroom for the sentencing, urging her killer to look at them."Today, it's about Caroline. In this green casket lies her remains. We thought it would be appropriate for this convicted murderer to see what is left of his beautiful wife. That's all there is."

"My wife and I have cried every day since she was murdered, and who knows if that will ever end," he said. Kot — their son-in-law — murdered Caroline 54 weeks ago, and they carried the "deeply horrifying details" about him during his trial, which lasted three weeks and two days, he recalled. No one should have to undergo such an ordeal, he stressed.

"The trial was an additional tragedy, all by itself," Michael said, adding that [defense attorney Joe] Joch and defense psychiatrist Dr. Rory Houghtalen -- whom he called a "hired-gun psychiatrist" -- had created an imaginary scenario to support Kot's defense. They had accepted Kot as their own son, and he never showed any hint of an extreme emotional disturbance, he said.

Kot has an "unexplained high opinion of his own abilities," felt he was smarter than Caroline, disliked his advisers, and looked down on his fellow students, Michael said. On the trial's second day, he and his wife, Patricia, met with Kot's parents, who told them they had learned on the Internet that Kot had admitted to killing Caroline. This is more evidence of Kot's disrespect and apathy toward others, he said.

Assistant District Attorney Andrew McElwee said that "In talking with some of her advisers, there appeared to be no ceiling on the contributions she may have made to the fields of science, research and biology," McElwee said. "We don't know what sort of a loss that will be to humanity, entirely, and we'll never know." McElwee also believed that Kot should reimburse Tompkins County for the cost of the trial, perhaps through patents he holds.

McElwell said that because of the brutality of the crime, the maximum sentence of 25 to life for 2nd degree murder was appropriate. "We're asking for the maximum sentence today. If a sentence of a maximum nature gives at least one person that's about to commit a crime like this pause, then that sentence is justified."

Judge John Rowley said that "The facts are just so disturbing, the images so powerful, the reality so harsh. I'm, of course, affected like everyone else is. I'm not to be overruled by that. The brutality of the death itself and the innocence of Dr. Coffey are just hard to accept."

Salt Lake City mom sentenced to jail for bashing estranged husband with hammer

A Salt Lake City, UT mother who admitted "surprising" her husband with a hammer attack after leading him down to her parents' basement was sentenced to 30 days in jail, three years of probation, a $250 fine and 200 hours of community service Monday, April 19. Amy Teresa Ricks, 37, was given the light sentence mainly because her victim, her estranged husband Joel Ricks told the judge he still loved his wife and that prison would be hard on their daughters.

Ricks was initially charged with attempted murder, a first-degree felony, for the May 4, 2007, attack that took place in her parents' Holladay condominium. The couple had gone out for dinner and returned to the condo where they started kissing.

Joel Ricks told police his wife then told him, "I've got a surprise for you." Amy Ricks blindfolded her husband, led him downstairs, spun him around in circles and told him to count to 100. After Joel Ricks was hit with the hammer, prosecutors said, he pulled off the blindfold, spotted sleeping bags, a knife and plastic bags nearby, and ran off to get help.

The perpetrator's attorney Susanne Gustin said her client is "a kind person, a smart person, a wonderful mother," Gustin said. "She's working full time and is the sole support of this family. She's not a danger to the community or anybody else. This happened because of mental pressure. She was a battered spouse."

Amy Ricks herself said I don't want to be separated from my children for any time, I am with them all the time," she said. "The last two years have been a nightmare for everyone. I'm sorry for it and I just want it to be over."

Prosecutor Tupakk Renteria disputed Amy's claim of abuse and said that even if it was the case, that doesn't excusing luring a victim down to a basement under false pretenses.
 
3rd District Judge William Barrett said that while the punishment for the attack needed to be severe enough to act as a deterrent, "Sometimes I hate this job.This was a tragic case and is a tragic case." Amy must report to jail on April 27. Her husband still has a no-contact order issued against her.