Life In Prison For Man In Sexual Assault, Murder Of 11-Year-Old NJ Girl
FREEHOLD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) - The man who killed an 11-year-old girl in Keansburg, N.J. was sentenced Friday to life in prison.
Her relatives broke down as they told the court of their loss.
CBS2's Meg Baker was at the Monmouth County Courthouse in Freehold for the sentencing.
Andreas Erazo previously admitted his guilt and took a plea deal. He was sentenced to 75 years in prison, and will be in his 80s before parole is possible.
Abbiegail Smith's mother Carol Bennett and other family members gave victim impact statements that had the whole courtroom crying, even the sheriff's officers, Baker reported.
Bennett stood before the judge with her sister by her side, holding a picture of her daughter while pleading for the strictest sentence for Erazo.
"You have shown no remorse, sympathy or empathy. And this just tells me how wicked you are. I have never come across someone as cruel and demonic as you. My family and I will never, ever forgive you, Andreas Erazo, for all the wickedness you have done to my innocent baby girl, Princess Abbie," Bennett said in court.
Web Extra: Abbiegail Smith's Family Speaks Out After Sentencing
Erazo admitted he sexually assaulted and stabbed Abbiegail to death. Her body was found wrapped in sheets and a futon on the roof of the Hancock Arms apartment complex in Keansburg in July of 2017. Erazo, 20, lived in the apartment above Abbiegail and her mother.
Erazo stared straight ahead as family members called him "evil" and a "monster." They called their loved one Princess Abbiegail, a little 11-year-old girl who loved life, butterflies and lady bugs. Her favorite color was purple.
"I described him as a cold blooded sexual predator. I still feel that way, that's exactly what he is," said Cecille Bennett Downy. "I was also wishing he would at least apologize for what he did."
Erazo's public defender argued for a lighter sentence, saying the 20-year-old came from a broken family, was abused as a child, suffered from a mental disorder and started using heroin, cocaine and marijuana at 11-years-old.
"What separates mankind from beasts of the wild sometimes, as is the case here, the need to deter must reach that far down into the realm of the unspeakable," said Judge David Bauman.
Abbiegail's mother holds onto her daughter's memory as she continues to grieve.
"She was jovial, full of life, very talented, fun loving, and if you had gotten to know her you would have loved her," Bennett said.
Erazo was given the opportunity to speak but declined.
Bennett mother said Erazo "will surely be with the devil."
