Nyoka Henderson held little back in Stafford County Circuit Court yesterday, telling the man convicted of her daughter's murder exactly how she felt.
"Spawn of the devil is what you are," Henderson told Antwon Whitten. "Rot in prison then burn in hell forever."
Whitten, a 41-year-old Dumfries man, got two life prison terms yesterday for the robbery and capital murder of Crystal Michelle Jacobs at Earl's True Value Hardware in July 2003.
Whitten maintains his innocence and plans an appeal.
Yesterday's sentencing was mostly a formality, as Circuit Judge John R. Alderman had no choice but to give Whitten life in prison for the murder.
Virginia law gives juries two punishment options in capital murder cases--life in prison without any chance of parole, or death. Whitten avoided the death penalty when a jury in June was unable to unanimously agree to it.
Reading prepared remarks written on a thick stack of index cards from the witness stand, Henderson said she was disappointed with the jury.
"If Antwon Whitten doesn't deserve the death penalty, then who does?" she asked.
She said she wishes "the most painful death possible" for Whitten, whom she called "a savage beast," "a violent little man" and "a coward."
Jacobs was stabbed 16 times in the face, neck and chest as she worked in the satellite post office in the back of the Chatham Heights Road store. The medical examiner testified that it may have taken her 20 minutes to die.
The crime occurred late in the afternoon, when the store was open. A co-worker found the 33-year-old mother of three girls--11, 13, and 14 at the time of the murder--in a pool of blood.
"I couldn't say goodbye," Henderson said. "I couldn't tell her how much she was loved."
Prosecutors said $509 worth of checks, $1,336 in cash and an Omega Constellation ladies watch were among the items stolen from the post office.
Two months passed before an arrest was made. Forensic examiners later linked DNA recovered from under Jacobs' fingernails with the genetic profile of Whitten--who was arrested on Jacobs' wedding anniversary.
Prosecutors said the DNA under Jacobs' fingernails indicates she struggled against her attacker.
Like all Virginia convicted felons, Whitten's DNA is stored in a databank maintained by the state Department of Forensic Science that now contains more than 236,000 samples.
Detectives found the missing watch at Whitten's apartment, according to court records. They also discovered a pair of white tennis shoes on which were several drops of Jacobs' blood.
Before the sentence was handed down yesterday, Whitten had his turn to comment. He said the slaying was a tragedy--one he did not cause. He said the evidence was planted at his apartment and that the DNA match was invalid. He said his cell phone records proved that he was in Dumfries at the time of the killing.
"I was set up," he said.
Whitten admitted to a long criminal record, but said he's not violent. He said he never met Jacobs and didn't know there was a post office at Earl's. He said he had a full-time job and didn't need to commit a robbery.
He said he has told the attorneys who represented him at the trial--Allen Bareford and Paul Maslakowski--the name of someone he suspects in the killing.
Judge Alderman told Whitten he has 30 days to appeal, and agreed to appoint two different attorneys to handle the appeals process--which will likely last more than a year.
Henderson made it clear yesterday in court that she has no doubt that Whitten took her daughter's life.
"He needs to be locked up forever, and the key needs to be thrown away."
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