G BOYFRIEND
Posted: May 20, 2010 11:52 AM
Updated: May 20, 2010 3:47 PM
A Butte woman who admitted to shooting and killing her boyfriend was sentenced to 40 years in the Montana State Prison women's facility in Billings.
Verna Bell, 46, appeared before District Judge Kurt Krueger at 11 a.m. Thursday for sentencing. In addition to prison time, she was also ordered to pay more than $16,000 in restitution.
At Thursday's sentencing, Bell apologized for the incident. She remained calm and quiet as the judge read her sentence.
On July 27, 2009, police responded to a 911 call from Bell who said she had just shot her boyfriend. Court documents state when police arrived at the home on the 1200 block of East Second Street, Bell was standing on the front porch talking on a cell phone. A handgun was sitting on the railing.
Richard Hoffmann, 41, of Butte was found conscious at a neighbor's house. He later died at the hospital. According to a coroner's report, he was shot once in the stomach and once in the head.
Bell and Hoffmann's mother, Rebecca Hoffman, spoke at the sentencing.
"You hunted him down in the street and shot him without one ounce of remorse. It's about time you took responsibility for her actions. It's not always somebody else's fault. While you are in prison, you need to take stock of your life an know that violence and murder are not the normal way of dealing with things," Rebecca Hoffmann said.
"I'm so very sorry that I hurt him," Bell said.
As the hearing continued, family members of the victim sat close together and supported one another leading up to the sentencing. But before handing down the 40-year sentence, Krueger addressed Bell.
"You're going to be in prison for the majority of this sentence, unless you change and unless there is a recognition of this factor and that you recognize your treatment issues, recognize your mental health issues. You're going to be there a long, long time," he said.
Following the hearing, Bell was escorted back to the Butte-Silver Bow Detention Center to await transport to the state woman's prison in Billings
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