[QUOTE=Villages Kahuna;472440]A twenty-one year old man sneaks into a garage when the 85-year old woman owner was outside gardening. She returned to the garage and closed the door. The man could easily have escaped by running out the door or hidden in the storage area of the garage. Instead, he threw a blanket over the woman's head and smashed he head and torso against a brick wall. Her face was so badly beaten, she was unrecognizable. After she fell to the floor unconscious, the man first stomped on her head and body and then pulled her panties off. She was near death when she reached the hospital and died of brain injuries within hours.

The man was witnessed leaving the garage by three people who positively identified him. He left both DNA and fingerprint evidence, and finally he confessed to the crime.

The crime occurred in Illinois where crimes of violence against the elderly, children or the disabled are called 'Class X felonies', meaning there is no chance of parole. The sentence must be served in full.

The man had a criminal record, multiple convictions for non-violent crimes. He was not a drug addict nor was he mentally impaired. The jury took only an hour to reach a guilty verdict. The prosecutors were seeking the death penalty and the man opted to have the judge declare his sentence, not the jury. The maximum penalty in Illinois for first degree murder is 60 years, although a jury or judge can reduce the sentence to any amount of time less than thre maximum.

The man was convicted of first degree murder, as well as burglary and breaking and entering. The maximum sentences for those crimes is 7 years each.

The elderly woman was my Mother. Were you in my shoes, what sentence would you feel provided you with justice?
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VK...I am so sorry about what happened to your mom.

Only a horrible monster could do the things that you described. I hope to God he rots in prison.