Yale lab tech Raymond Clark sentenced to 44 years for Annie Le murder
(CBS/AP) NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Raymond Clark III, the 26-year-old former animal research technician who murdered Yale graduate student Annie Le days before her wedding in 2009, has been sentenced to 44 years in prison.
Pictures: Student Found Dead on Wedding Day
Clark received 44 years for murder and 20 years for sexual assault Friday in New Haven Superior Court. The sentences will run concurrently, reports CBS affiliate WFSB.
Clark pleaded guilty in March to murder and attempted sexual assault as part of a deal.
The sexual assault plea was entered under Connecticut's Alford doctrine, where the defendant doesn't agree to the facts, but agrees the state has enough evidence to get a conviction.
Annie Le's mother Vivian Le spoke at the sentencing saying "I will never hug Annie again. The world will never know what she had to offer," reports the Hartford Courant. "I will never see her walking down the aisle. I will never hold my grandchildren."
"Her life is gone," Le continued according to the Courant. "Society lost a great woman. My family lost a beautiful soul."
Clark spoke publicly for the first time at the sentencing, apologizing for his actions.
Le's body was found behind a lab wall on Sept. 13, 2009, five days after she was last seen inside the medical building. It would have been her wedding day.