| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
LOS ANGELES (AP) A man who killed his wife with a hammer and hit her son as the teenager tried to save her was sentenced Friday to 26 years to life in prison, authorities said.
Superior Court Judge Frederick Wapner said although Carlos Campos, 29, was sorry about his actions, he must be punished for the death of 35-year-old Eva Guadalupe Garcia last October.
Wapner sentenced Campos to 25 years to life in prison for the murder and one year for using a hammer. Campos was also sentenced to four years for attacking Garcia's son, Andrew Sanchez, which he will serve simultaneously.
Campos was convicted in July of first-degree murder, child abuse and assault, officials said. During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Franco Baratta said Campos crushed Garcia's skull, hitting her with a hammer 17 times.
Campos gave a teary apology during Friday's sentencing, saying he felt the loss of his late wife.
``I have pain in my heart, in my soul and you know I'm going to be like this for the rest of my life,'' Campos said.
Sanchez spoke of the pain of losing his mother and of the ``images that have been left'' etched in his mind.
Wapner said the teenager had done everything he could to save his mother and should not suffer ``guilt for the rest of his life for what he did or what he didn't do.''
Before the sentencing, Campos' attorney, Rosette Isip, asked for a new trial and for Campos' conviction to be reduced to second-degree murder. The request was denied.