Convicted serial killer who lured victims on dating apps sentenced to 160 years
NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- A convicted serial killer who used dating apps to lure his victims in New Jersey was sentenced to 160 years in prison on Wednesday.
The families of the victims still live with the weight of loss and suffering.
Sarah Butler was the last known victim in a murderous crime spree. Her body was found buried under leaves and the last known person she was with was Kahlil Wheeler-Weaver.
"I ask you judge to show him no mercy, the way he showed the victims no mercy," the victim's sister Aleia Butler said. "None of the victims deserve what happened to them, none of them asked for it."
Butler was murdered in November of 2016 and her body was found in the Eagle Rock Reservation.
Before her horrible death, there were two other victims: 33-year-old Joanne Brown and 19-year-old Robin West whose body was also burned beyond recognition.
"Robin's chapter in the Book of Life is over and she is with God and her grandparents watching over us and giving me the strength to keep moving," Robin West's mother Anita Mason said. "I can hear her say, 'you got this mom.'"
The families have endured a lot since the crimes took place in 2016, but they have rallied around the surviving victim who Wheeler-Weaver tried to strangle before she got away.
"I'm over 100% sure it was him, he told me who he was, he revealed himself to me, plus I saw him prior to this so it's not a mistake," Tiffany Taylor said.
Wheeler-Weaver spoke in court on Wednesday and maintained his innocence.
"I would like to say I do feel empathy for the victims and my heart goes out to their families and friends however I was not, I repeat not, the person who committed these crimes," Wheeler-Weaver said.
His statement did not sit well with the families.
"This monster took my daughter, this person is a monster," Laverne Butler, Sarah Butler's mother, said.
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