David Laffer was sentenced Thursday on Long Island to consecutive sentences of life in prison without parole. He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the June holdup at Haven Drugs in Medford.
Laffer, a 33-year-old Army veteran, has said he committed the robbery because he had lost his job. He said his wife required not only painkillers but also blood pressure medicine, anti-nausea pills and muscle relaxants.
He jammed a backpack full of pills after killing the four victims.
His wife, Melinda Brady, admitted driving the getaway car. She pleaded guilty to robbery charges.
In a packed and emotional courtroom, a teary Brady was sentenced to the max 25 years in prison.
After an apology statement read in court, the judge called her statement "as insincere as a counterfeit coin."