\u201cI\u2019m OK. Bye, Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those were the last words uttered by Natalie Whiteplume Hatch via telephone to her father on Sept. 15, 2013. The family had planned to go shopping with their 21-year-old daughter the following day; instead, they started making funeral arrangements after Hatch was gunned down in the doorway of her home by a masked, then 19-year-old, Jeroen Begay.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Begay, you took my precious little girl away from me,\u201d said her father, Frederick Hatch, Jr., his knees shaking and voice quivering at sentencing on Tuesday, Sept. 2.<\/p>\n
Chief District Court Judge Doug Walker sentenced Begay, now 20, to 30 years in prison followed by five years of mandatory parole. Initially facing life for first-degree murder, Begay pleaded guilty in July to second-degree murder, which carried a maximum 48-year sentence.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was our pride and joy,\u201d said Hatch\u2019s father. \u201cNow she\u2019s gone, and all we have is memories. Her future is lost.\u201d<\/p>\n
Citing the defendant fired off five rounds from a 12-gauge shotgun, Walker said he was unsure that any sentence would ever offer the victim\u2019s family true peace. Begay must serve 75 percent of his 30-year prison term before becoming eligible for parole.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s just for Natalie Hatch,\u201d said Walker.<\/p>\n
After shooting Hatch, Begay entered the Cedar Terrace Apartment residence and shot an 18-year-old man, who survived. Two additional counts of attempted first-degree murder were dropped as a result of the plea agreement.<\/p>\n
Hatch remembered<\/p>\n
A photo collage of the victim, spanning from birth to high school graduation, was erected inside the courtroom at Tuesday\u2019s hearing. Several loved ones spoke, including a high school counselor who described Hatch as intelligent, reliable, passionate and caring.<\/p>\n
\u201cNatalie had a heart as big as the world,\u201d said the counselor. \u201cWe will always wonder why Mr. Begay felt compelled to commit this senseless crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hatch\u2019s former boxing coach said he\u2019d always remember his pupil as a \u201crespected, little girl.\u201d Hatch reportedly won several amateur boxing titles since 2001.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost my fighter and my friend,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The mother of a woman who committed suicide after being implicated in the murder, told Begay she hoped he would one day find peace knowing that his family would have to carry his shame.<\/p>\n
Her daughter committed suicide two days after Hatch was buried, the woman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will have to learn how to live with this,\u201d she told Begay.<\/p>\n
The woman also reminded the Hatch family to stay positive and strong, citing that\u2019s what their daughter would have wanted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will get through this together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
District Attorney Will Furse read from a written statement prepared by the victim\u2019s mother, Christine Hatch, who described her daughter as \u201cfull of wonder and curiosity\u201d with plans to travel the world and become a veterinarian. Hatch\u2019s mother wrote that each passing day seemed to be harder than the last.<\/p>\n
\u201cNatalie will never return us, forever,\u201d the mother penned.<\/p>\n
In his own remarks, Furse said Begay\u2019s \u201chorrific acts of violence\u201d had \u201cgravely harmed\u201d countless family members and friends who continued to grieve over their loss of Hatch. He added the family simply wanted closure and justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis may be the end of the criminal proceedings for Mr. Begay, but the memories of Natalie will live on forever,\u201d said Furse.<\/p>\n
Defense response<\/p>\n
Shackled in a khaki inmate uniform, Begay kept his baby-faced head bowed throughout most of the near two-hour proceeding on Tuesday. He declined to address the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not here to make excuses or shift the blame,\u201d said public defender Kenneth Pace. \u201cWe\u2019re here today to share Mr. Begay\u2019s story.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pace argued that adolescent psychological studies show that his client\u2019s brain would not fully mature until his mid-20s, and his actions on the night in question were emotionally based reactions to an escalating series of events.<\/p>\n
Pace screened several videos in the courtroom, including one from Begay\u2019s girlfriend, Winter Whitehorse, who stated a rival gang member at the victim\u2019s home physically assaulted both her and the defendant on the night in question, which ultimately led to the murder.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeroen was scared,\u201d said Pace. \u201cIn hindsight, he could have done anything but grab a shotgun. There\u2019s no question that really bad choices were made.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pace concluded his client was sad and remorseful, but he never acted with ill will or hatred. Begay reportedly inscribed on a jailhouse wall, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, God. Please forgive me.\u201d<\/p>\n