August 12, 2013: Antonio Barbeau, 14, cries as a life sentence is imposed in the hatchet killing of his great grandmother, in Sheboygan, Wisc. Barbeau had pleaded no contest to first-degree intentional homicide in the September 2012 death of Barbara Olson. (AP Photo)
A Wisconsin 14-year-old was sentenced to life in prison Monday for his role in the killing of his 78-year-old great-grandmother.
Antonio Barbeau, of Sheboygan Falls, received the sentence as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors in which Barbeau agreed to plead no contest to a charge of first-degree intentional homicide. Barbeau and Nathan Paape were accused of bludgeoning Barbara Olsen in her home with a hammer and hatchet in September of 2012. Paape was convicted in a jury trial in June for his role in the killing.
Barbeau had previously pleaded not guilty by mental disease. A psychiatrist testified that Barbeau has cognitive issues stemming from being hit by a car at the age of 10, which might also have affected his behavior.
After the sentence was handed down Monday, Barbeau attempted to read a prepared statement, but could not finish it after he started crying. His attorney, George Limbeck, also fought back tears as he finished the statement.
Judge Timothy Van Akkeren imposed a parole eligibility date of November 24, 2048, which will be Barbeau's 50th birthday.
"In my 24 years on the bench, I’ve not seen anything of this nature. Not even close," Van Akkeren said. “It gives me great sadness to see someone of your age going into the system ... I'm sorry to see this have to happen."
Click for more from the Sheboygan Press
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox