James Meegan escaped the death penalty for killing his 10-month-old daughter, but today he didn't escape the next-toughest sentence.
District Judge Sally Loehrer smacked Meegan, 39, with a life sentence that gives him no possibility of parole for the death that was hidden for five years.
Meegan, his voice cracking with emotion and tears welling in his eyes, again emphasized that he never intended to kill the baby, calling the prosecution's allegations "a big lie."
He did not, however, deny shaking her in a fit of rage.
"I didn't murder my child. I want to make that very, very clear," he said in asking for a life sentence with the possibility of parole to give him a chance someday to be with his five other children.
In giving him the sentence without parole, Loehrer said she did believe Meegan was sorry for what he had done, but "you did make your bed five or six years ago."
Loehrer added that Meegan would be eligible to have his sentence commuted by the state Pardons Board to life with the possibility of parole in 12 or 15 years.
Meegan was convicted in August of first-degree murder for the shaking of 10-month-old Francine in 1990. She fell into a coma and died the next day despite efforts by the Meegans to revive her with CPR.
What captured the public interest was how the baby's body was hauled in a suitcase to an isolated central Arizona gully, doused with gasoline and set afire.
The close-knit family managed to keep the death a secret until early this year when the former boyfriend of Lillian Meegan's sister uncovered bits of the story and called police in Las Vegas.
When James and Lillian Meegan were unable to adequately answer police questions as to their baby's whereabouts, they were arrested and the truth eventually spilled out.
The Meegans were able to hide the baby's disappearance because few knew of Francine's existence. She had been adopted out as a newborn to a California couple the Meegans knew in exchange for the down payment on a home, a car and cash.
But Francine was "repossessed" by the Meegans eight months later when additional demands for money were not met.
The California couple, Dennis and Valerie Jensen, testified against Meegan and have been present through most court hearings. They were in court today.
Meegan had faced the possibility of the death penalty throughout his trial but as his penalty hearing ended, the death penalty was quickly eliminated as an option, although it wasn't the jury's choice.
In a surprise move, Deputy District Attorney John Lukens told the jury during closing arguments that the death penalty was "inappropriate" for Meegan because there was no premeditation to kill.
But the jury couldn't decide whether Meegan's life sentence should be with or without the possibility of parole and Loehrer declared a hung jury.
Because of that, the responsibility to sentence Meegan fell to Loehrer.
The change of heart by the district attorney's office over the death penalty is the basis of a motion for a new trial that Loehrer will have to decide later this month.
Lukens had advocated the life sentence without parole and it was the punishment recommended by the state Department of Parole and Probation in its pre-sentence report.
Loehrer previously sentenced Lillian Meegan to 18 years in prison on a child abuse and neglect charge for failing to obtain medical attention for her dying daughter.
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