By Annie Reynolds
Mark Hacking was sentenced to six years to life in prison on Monday in Salt Lake City for the murder of his wife, Lori Hacking.
The sentencing hearing was full of emotion as both Lori''s family and Mark''s family read personal statements to the courtroom about how the murder has affected them over the last year.
Mark Hacking''s family addressed the courtroom first, getting up one by one to express love and support for Mark, and sorrow and anguish to the Soares family for the loss of their daughter.
?I hate what he did and would give my life to reverse what happened,? said Douglas Hacking, Mark''s father. ?But, I still love him.?
Mark Hacking also addressed the courtroom, apologizing to both families for the pain he caused.
?Words are cheap, especially coming from me,? Hacking said. ?But from the bottom of my heart I''m so sorry for the pain I''ve caused.?
Hacking emotionally told the judge that he loved and missed Lori.
?She was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, but I killed her and took the life of my unborn child and put them in the garbage, and I can''t explain why I did it,? he said. ?I put them in the garbage, and they rotted out at the landfill.?
There was no evidence proving Lori''s pregnancy, leaving the state unable to seek the death penalty in the case.
?I deserve to be in prison, probably for the rest of my life, and I''m okay with that,? Hacking said. ?I''ll never feel I''ve served enough time.?
Lori''s mother, Thelma Soares tearfully described the murder as a tragedy and a senseless waste of three lives.
?Words fail me as I try to express how my soul has been ripped apart,? she said.
?After shooting her in the head, Mark dumped her and her child into the city trash,? Soares said recounting the months that Lori''s body laid under nine tons of trash in the Salt Lake Landfill. ?I can not bear to see a garbage truck now.?
Only 35 pounds of remains from Lori''s once 115-pound body were found three months after the murder.
?I can''t think of one good reason why Mark should ever walk free again in his lifetime,? Thelma said.
According to Judge Denise Lindberg, the amount of time Mark Hacking actually ends up spending in jail is up to the parole board.
Mark Hacking''s lawyer said statistically, when similar cases are compared, he will probably spend 20-30 years in jail.
Judge Lindberg in closing called Mark Hacking the poster-child for dishonesty in its most extreme form.
? may not be perfect justice,? Lindberg said. ?But it is the best our system can offer.?
Lindberg said she believes Hacking should be in prison for a very long time.
?I do not wish for bad things to happen to ,? Thelma Soares said. ?I hope he uses his life in prison to accomplish something redemptive for himself and all the good he can for others.?