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The final two out of four people responsible for the killing of a Nebraska man whose beaten and naked body was found in a ditch have been sentenced to prison.
On Wednesday, Justin Thornley and his cousin Jacob Thornley were sentenced for the death of Gary T. Lew, 68.
Justin Thornley got 25 to 30 years in prison for manslaughter, tampering with evidence, vulnerable adult abuse, false imprisonment, and criminal conspiracy. Jacob Thornley was sentenced to 29 to 30 years on the same charges. Two others, Christina Thornley, the victim’s daughter and Justin Thornley’s wife, and Braden Bongers, a family friend, have already been sentenced — Christina Thornley to 15 years in prison and Bongers to 19 years in prison.
Citing court documents, NBC’s Omaha affiliate WOWT reported how the killing happened. It started after Lew swiped at one of Justin Thornley’s children, the station reported. The cousins and Bongers, a friend, beat Lew, slammed him against a concrete floor, propped him back into his wheelchair and ignored his medical condition for three days until he died, the station reported.
Then they put his body in a trash bag, stripped it naked and dumped it in a ditch.
Justin Thornley, left inset, and his cousin Jacob Thornley, center inset, were sentenced for the death of Gary Lew, right inset. (Screenshots from NBC Omaha affiliate WOWT/YouTube)
“I’m so happy that [Gary] got justice,” said the victim’s sister, Sue Lew, WOWT reported. “I wrote a letter to the judge. I said, ‘I hope that Gary’s spirit haunts each of them each and every day that they’re in prison.””
Judge Kim Pankonin called the crime “horrific, deplorable, and inhumane.”
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“You started the chain of events that led to Mr. Lew’s death,” she told Jacob Thornley. “I’ve read every police report and every account, and although there are some differences, every witness, including yourself, put you as the most culpable.”
To Justin Thornley, Pankonin said, “This was a man who was your family to take care of, and instead, you took part in the senseless abuse that led to his death. You allowed it to happen and took part in it in front of your children.”
Justin Thornley apologized in court.
“Gary didn’t deserve this,” he said. “I’m truly sorry.”
Jacob Thornley also apologized.
“I can’t begin to explain how sorry I am for what I’ve done,” Jacob Thornley said, WOWT reported. “All I can do is apologize, and I feel like asking for forgiveness is disrespectful.”
