A New Jersey father who was convicted last month of murder for throwing his two-year-old daughter in a creek was in court on Wednesday for sentencing. He was given life in prison.
Arthur Morgan III was allowed to speak at the hearing before he was sentenced, apologizing to the girl’s mother, Imani Benton.
“I want to say I’m sorry for the deterioration of what I thought was a beautiful friendship between the two of us that blossomed into a daughter,” Morgan said, reports CBS New York. “For anybody that was truly affected by this, I hope we can all heal from this situation, knowing Tierra is in a better place.”
Morgan also complained to Judge Anthony Mellaci Jr. about how he was portrayed in the media. It didn’t change Mellaci’s opinion though, as the judge called Morgan’s actions “horrific, unthinkable and appalling.”
Back in April, Morgan was convicted of murder, child endangerment and interference for killing his daughter, Tierra Morgan-Glover, by throwing her in a creek while she was still strapped in her car seat. three years ago. The car seat was weighed down by an iron and prosecutors believed that Morgan killed Tierra as revenge for her mother ending their engagement.
“I don’t understand why she was taken from me,” Benton said today, notes CBS. “It does give me peace to know that she is in Heaven with God, and (Morgan) will pay for what he did to her, to me and to everyone else. No good will come to him.”