'Not Just A Delivery Man, He Was My Dad,' Daughter Says At Killers' Sentencing
BOSTON (CBS) – "The man who was tortured that night was not just a delivery man, he was my dad," the daughter of Richel Nova told her father's killers in a painful day in court for her family Wednesday.
Alexander Gallett and Michel St. Jean were sentenced to life in prison without parole and Gallett's girlfriend was given at least 17 years in prison during an emotional hearing in Suffolk Superior Court.
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Before the three were sentenced, Nova's relatives read their victim impact statements to his killers.
The mother of Nova's four children, Marilyn Pimental took the stand first, telling the judge through an interpreter that Nova, 58, was a humble and simple person.
She cried as she recounted how she collapsed when she was told about Nova's murder.
The three lured Nova to a vacant house in Hyde Park in September 2010, stabbed him 16 times, then stole the pizza order and about $140 in cash before driving off in his car.
Letters from his niece, sister and other relatives were then read aloud in court.
"I love you so much that I can't believe they took you away from me," the niece said in her note.
Marlene Romero speaks in court
'I WISH I WOULDN'T HAVE LET GO OF HIM'
Marlene Romero, one of Nova's twin daughters, then took the stand, fighting back tears as she recounted her last day with her father in September 2010.
"I wish I wouldn't have let go of him," she said about hugging him for the final time.
When Romero first learned her father had died, she said she didn't know what had happened.
She later found out "it was done by a group of kids my age and younger."
'NOTHING COMPARES TO THE REGRET'
Romero said the worst feeling since her father's death has been regret.
"Nothing compares to the regret I have," she told the court.
"These past four years have been hard and it never really ends. Every time I want to give up, I think about how my dad wanted the best for me," Romero said.
"He wanted me to be happy."
Michelle Romero offers victim impact statement
'HE WAS MY DAD'
Romero's twin sister, Michelle then took the stand and also struggled through tears to tell her story about how her father never returned a phone call to her because he had been killed.
"The man who was tortured that night was not just a delivery man, he was my dad," Michelle said, adding that he would never see her college graduation, wedding or grandchildren.
Read: Keller: Remembering A Hard Working Man
Gallett and St. Jean were found guilty Tuesday of first-degree murder, armed robbery and breaking and entering.
Gallett addressed the court briefly Wednesday, saying he wanted to take responsibility for the brutal attack and hoped that his sentence brings peace to Nova's family.
Gallett's girlfriend Yamiley Mathurin pleaded guilty to manslaughter earlier this month.
She was sentenced to 17-to-20 years in state prison Wednesday, followed by three years of probation for armed robbery.
The jury returned its verdicts for Gallett and Michel St. Jean Tuesday following two weeks of testimony.
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