Judge Formally Sentences Convicted Killer Todd Shepard to Life in Prison With No Parole

Convicted killer Todd Shepard was formally sentenced on Wednesday in the shooting death of University City police officer Michael King in 2008.

KSDK reports St. Louis County Circuit Judge David Lee Vincent sentenced Shepard to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Shepard is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence on an unrelated federal drug conviction. His life sentence will start when he's through serving time for the drug conviction.

KSDK reports reports Judge Vincent also handed Shepard a consecutive life term for the conviction on armed criminal action in the slaying. According to KSDK, Shepard told the Judge he did not intend on filing motions for a new trial in the case.

Last month, jurors spared Shepard the death penalty, and instead recommended he be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Jurors had convicted the 43-year-old of first-degree murder after he admitted on the witness stand that he killed University City police officer Michael King on Halloween night 2008.

When Judge Vincent read the jury's sentencing recommendation of life without parole, some of Sgt. King shook their heads in obvious disapproval.

Shepard's family members cried in relief. "Thank you Lord, thank you Lord," his sister Sarah Henderson repeated several times. She later told University City Patch, "I just than my Heavenly Father." 

Shepard took the stand several times throughout his trial. During his testimony he said the night he shot Sgt. King started out as a reconnaissance mission. "I was on a scouting mission," he said. "I saw him sitting in his car and I went to work." Shepard testified that he hoped the shooting would spark "a revolution."

He said "it's my belief that you have the right to kill an oppressor." He said it was "something needed, something good."

Shepard said his only regret was the pain he caused Sgt. King's family. "Civilian casualties. It's something I don't like and I didn't think about the families of the soldiers that may fall or have already fallen because of my actions."

Shepard said he felt  no remorse for killing Sgt. King. "No, no, no, no, no, no. None. Not. "I felt good...I felt justice had been done," he said.  

His sister Sarah Henderson pleaded with jurors to spare her brother's life. 

"Todd's life still has value. He is still a human being." She said that despite his problems "he still has something he can offer." "I ask that you not sentence my brother to death," said an emotional Henderson from the witness stand.