PITTSBURGH — A Sharpsburg man was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for the murder of his aunt's fiancé.
Michael Lapaglia was found guilty in June of first-degree murder, burglary and robbery in the July 2014 shooting death of 59-year-old John Parkes Jr.
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Police said Lapaglia killed Parkes during a jewelry robbery. Surveillance video showed Lapaglia pawning items that he stole hours after the shooting.
An impact statement from Carol Lapaglia, Parkes' fiancé, read, in part: "When I came home from work that day and found Jack, I never dreamed in a million years it would have been my nephew Michael that took his life."
In addition to the life sentence without the possibility of parole, Michael Lapaglia was given a 10-to 20-year prison sentence for robbery.
The judge called Parkes' death "a senseless, stupid and mean-spirited killing."
Parkes and Carol Lapaglia were together for 26 years. They were to marry six weeks after his murder.
"Michael, we loved you. How could you do this to us?" said Carol Lapaglia.
Joseph Giovewgo said he had known Parkes since first grade.
"He was my brother, my best friend. I'm depressed. I'll never get over it," said Giovewgo.
Michael Lapaglia had claimed that there was a struggle before the shooting and said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder since his return from active military duty in Afghanistan.
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