18-Pound-Crucifix Attacker Carlos Ovalle Gets Life in Prison

(CBS/iStockphoto)

ROCKVILLE, Md. (CBS/AP) - No word if the sentence was ordained by god, but state prosecutors say the man who used an 18-pound crucifix to beat his estranged girlfriend has been ordered to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Thirty-three-year-old Carlos Ovalle, from Takoma Park, Md., was sentenced Tuesday.

He had been convicted in July on numerous charges, including first-degree attempted murder.

Police say on Dec. 21, Ovalle broke into his estranged girlfriend's home, jumped out of a closet when she came home, and tried to stab and strangle her. Ovalle hit the woman at least 20 times with the crucifix, taken from an apartment wall.

A Takoma Park police officer burst in and shot Ovalle twice. Authorities say one bullet passed through his chest and hit the woman's arm. She survived the attack.

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