By LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Sept. 19, 2014
A Utah doctor convicted
of murdering his wife in a case that became a true-crime cable TV
obsession was sentenced Friday to 17 years to life in prison at a
hearing in which his daughter called him a monster.
The
long-awaited sentence came seven years after prosecutors say Martin
MacNeill knocked out his wife with drugs prescribed following cosmetic
surgery and left her to die in a bathtub so he could begin a new life
with his mistress.
"My father's facade has now
crumbled," said Alexis Somers, who asked the judge to give MacNeill the
maximum penalty. "My father is a monster. He has never shown remorse for
any of his crimes. He must be held accountable for his actions."
Judge
Derek Pullan gave the 58-year-old MacNeill the harshest term possible:
at least 15 years and up to life on the murder charge, plus one to 15
years on an obstruction-of-justice charge. A third sentence in a
separate sexual abuse case adds another one to 15 years.
The one-time doctor and lawyer with a family of eight did not address the court during the sentencing...
Michele MacNeill initially
was ruled to have died of natural causes, possibly heart disease, but
her family hounded authorities until charges were filed five years after
her death...
The
judge pointed to Martin MacNeill's careful planning, saying he'd
orchestrated the killing so his 6-year-old daughter would find her
mother dead...
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