JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A judge has sentenced Chad Absher to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting death of Ashlee Rucker.
Absher was arrested in the shooting death of his former girlfriend on Halloween in 2017. He was convicted of first-degree murder and also attempted murder in the shooting of Ashlee's sister, Lisa Rucker.
Emotional victim impact statements were read by family members of Rucker to the court on Thursday afternoon, prior to the sentencing.
Ashlee and Lisa Rucker's uncle, Douglas Freeman, called Absher evil.
"Ashlee loved you and forgave you every time you beat her, which was on a daily basis," he said.
As Freeman walked back to his seat after giving his statement, he blew kisses towards Absher and told him not to drop the soap. The judge told Freeman that his statements were inappropriate.
Absher blew kisses towards jurors and family members earlier this month when he was found guilty of first-degree and attempted murder.
Lisa Rucker, who is Ashlee's sister and was shot in the face by Absher, told the judge Thursday that Absher took away the last person who loved her unconditionally. She said that Absher has shown no remorse for his actions.
Ashlee Rucker was shot in the head and died just feet away from Lisa, in front of Lisa's 4-year-old son and Ashlee's 9-year-old son.
The bullet that struck Lisa Rucker went through her face, shattering her jaw bone and she went through multiple surgeries. The fracture was repaired with a bone from her foot, she told First Coast News.
When she sat for her interview in November 2017, two weeks from the shooting, she still had a hole in her neck from a tracheotomy. When she spoke, she had to cover the hole when her hand.
Lisa Rucker and the sisters' father, Roger Rucker, said that Chad Absher abused Ashlee for years. Lisa said that the police were called multiple times.
Lisa says she will always remember her big sister.