JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A judge sentenced the Jacksonville man convicted of murdering his pregnant niece to three consecutive life sentences Monday.
During an 11-week trial that ended Sept. 25, Johnathan Quiles was guilty of raping and murdering his niece, Iyana Sawyer, and her unborn baby. The jury suggested life in prison, sparing him the death penalty.
Still, Judge Anthony Salem offered no mercy, issuing the maximum punishment allowed by law.
He was repeatedly overcome with emotion in court, and had to stop repeatedly to compose himself before handing down the sentence.
Iyana Sawyer’s mom was the only one to speak. She wore a shirt that read “long live Hazel"; the name her daughter gave her unborn baby girl before both were murdered in 2019.
The sentencing brings an end to four and a half years of court proceedings in this case. Judge Salem said he hopes the trial coming to an end will give the family a sense of closure.