A Colorado judge sentenced the teenager who killed and dismembered a 10-year-old girl to life in prison on Tuesday.
District Judge Stephen Munsinger read 18-year-old Austin Sigg his sentencing after an emotionally charged hearing concerning the October 2012 murder of Jessica Ridgeway in Westminster, TIME reported. Sigg's conviction also included charges from other crimes, including an attempted kidnapping in May 2012. He will not be eligible for parole during his time in prison as a result of these extra indictments.
"This case cries out for a life sentence," Munsinger told the court.
Meanwhile, Sigg stood a few feet away from the bench, motionless, his expression blank.
Sigg was not considered for the death penalty since he was 17 years old when he committed the murder.
Sigg pleaded guilty to killing fifth-grader Jessica on Oct. 5, 2012, when he kidnapped her on her way to school. Her remains were found in a park five days after she was reported missing, while additional body parts were discovered under a crawl space at Sigg's mother's house.
A neighbor who lived in Denver's western suburbs called the police two weeks after Jessica was kidnapped to let them know about Sigg's erratic behavior and obsession with death. The 18-year-old reportedly kept to himself at school, and was enrolled in forensics classes at the time of the murder. Shortly after FBI agents took a DNA sample from the boy, his mother called authorities to let them know that her son had something to tell them.
Police who questioned Sigg said that the teen recounted killing the girl with his bare hands before dismembering her in a bathtub. When police asked about his past criminal record, Sigg admitted that he'd attempted to kidnap a woman running at a nearby park. The teen reportedly tried to grab her from behind and subdue her with a chloroform rag, but she managed to escape.
