Isaiah Kalebu, the man found guilty of aggravated first degree murder in the July 2009 rape and knife attack of two women in South Park, killing Teresa Butz and severely injuring her partner- was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Aug. 12 by Judge Michael Hayden at the King County Courthouse.

Kalebu sat mostly expressionless with padded mitts over his hands, bound to a wheelchair with restraints (due to prior outbursts in court) as the murder victim’s father Norbert Butz, brother Jim Butz, and her partner and survivor of the horrific attack, Jennifer Hopper, gave impact statements to the court. Butz’s partner’s name was withheld by media since the attack but she revealed herself as Jennifer Hopper in a powerful story written for The Stranger on Aug. 9, titled “I Would Like You to Know My Name; How My Life Changed After That Night in South Park.”

The following information was gathered from a live feed of the sentencing at Kirotv.com.

Teresa’s father Norbert Butz said, “She was really a blessing from God that Isaiah took from us. He took her life but he couldn’t take her spirit and soul.”

“I still don’t forgive him, I don’t excuse what he did, but I have prayed that the darkness in his mind and his soul … I just hope at some point in his life that a light turns on and that he at least acknowledges that he did a dastardly diabolical deed and Teresa’s gone and beautiful Jennifer has to live with this for her lifetime. And our family’s prayer for Jennifer is that God gives her a healing of memories, that He just kind of blocks out the horrible hour and a half …”

Jim Butz, Teresa’s younger brother in a family of eleven children, addressed the court next. He spoke of living with Teresa as a young troubled man and the guidance she gave him during that period – encouragement that led him to the decision to become a pastor, the profession he is currently studying for.

“Isaiah I know that I’m a sinner and I have no right to judge you and I swear that I have prayed for you every day since this happened and I pray that you will hope to learn the love of Jesus Christ and I hope to see you in heaven,” Jim said to Kalebu.

“I’ll be there,” Kalebu responded.

Hopper’s story in The Stranger goes into detail on her struggle with what she would say to Kalebu on the day of his sentencing, and ultimately she told him, “I do wish you peace and I do not hate you. I am so sorry for whatever it is in your life that brought you to this but I do say with every ounce of my being that I am glad that you will never be around to hurt me or anyone else again. And I wish I could say to you that I have not been broken … but pieces of me are and will always be.”

“I wish you peace every last day of your life,” she said.

In addition to the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or release for aggravated murder, Judge Hayden, saying he was unable to impose consecutive life sentences, imposed an additional 1186 months of confinement for the attempted murder and rape of Jennifer Hopper. The additional time is to be served concurrently with Kalebu’s life sentence.