COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — Justin Sickler, 46, was sentenced to 45 years for three felonies connected to the death of 28-year-old McIntosh on Thursday. He accepted a plea deal that removed a first degree murder charge.
- Nine victim impact statements were read in court by friends and family of the Iowa woman; including by her parents, step-parents, and siblings.
- Judge Eric Nelson gave Sickler the maximum allowable sentence. He'll spend more than 17 years in prison.
- Brianne's father, Tommy Thompson: "Under the circumstances I'll have to take what I can get and it's the best I can get."
WATCH KATRINA'S STORY BELOW
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"That monster didn't realize how many people loved and cared for her. Or maybe he did and he just didn't care," said Brianne McIntosh's sister, Angel Royal.
Emotional victim statements from Brianne McIntosh's family on Thursday as the man connected to her death is sentenced in Pottawattamie County.
"You were just going to walk around like you did nothing," her friend Liz said, addressing Sickler.
Judge Eric Nelson gave Justin Sickler the maximum allowable sentence under a plea agreement, giving him at least 17 and a half years in prison.
"You transported her corpse and just dumped her on the side of the road," Nelson said.
Sickler was originally charged with first-degree murder in the death of the 28-year-old Iowa woman. She was found in a remote part of Fremont County more than a month after her death.
Her sister, Angel Royal, visited the site: "In the middle of complete nowhere."
Because Brianne's body was decomposed, a cause of death could not be determined. That, says county attorney Matt Wilber, is why he agreed to a plea bargain — taking murder off the table.
"I'm not saying I'm not struggling with this one," he said."It's not been an easy choice but looking at all the evidence, and looking at the law, I think it's the best choice we could make under the circumstances."
Brianne's family was frustrated that Sickler couldn't be tried for murder.
Her father, Tommy Thompson: "Under the circumstances I'll have to take what I can get and it's the best I can get."
"I am content with this, yes. This is the best outcome we could have asked for," Royal said.
Brianne's mom, Tina Baker: "I am extremely happy with the judge's decision. Not so happy that he didn't get the charges he deserved."
Wilber told me he believes powerful statements from loved ones encouraged the judge to impose the strongest sentence possible.
Thompson directly addressed Sickler at times: "Look at me. I'm right here."
Under the mandatory minimums, Sickler won't be out of prison until he's in his sixties. I'm your Southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter, Katrina Markel, in Council Bluffs.
