by Kerry Hall
Rock Island, IL - Convicted killer Sarah Kolb was found guilty in February of murdering and dismembering 16-year-old Adrianne Reynolds of East Moline.
After months of sentencing delays, Kolb found out her punishment last Tuesday. The state's attorney said today that this murder, and the cover-up that followed, was an act of evil.
The judge seemed to agree. He handed Kolb a 53 year sentence out of a possible 65 years.
Kolb showed no reaction when her sentence was handed down. Forty-eight years for Reynolds' murder and five for concealing the death.
With her lawyer's request for a minimum sentence of 20 years turned down, Kolb will be an old woman when she gets out of prison.
"Clearly the sentence is based on seeing her as a life-long murderer who will do it again. I don't see it that way," said Defense Attorney David Hoffman.
Kolb read a letter to the courtroom. Without admitting to the murder, it says she wishes she had done more to prevent Reynolds' death. She read 'I felt no feeling as she died. There's no excuse why I couldn't turn off my not-feeling to feel.'
But friends and family speaking on her behalf say they don't see Kolb as a cold-blooded killer. One says Sarah encouraged him to go to school. Another says Sarah shaved her head, like she did after her conviction, to show support when the girl's mother was battling cancer.
They're acts of compassion the state's attorney says Kolb didn't show the day Adrianne Reynolds was murdered.
"To kill somebody because you don't like them, to kill somebody because you had an argument with them, it's senseless," said Jeff Terronez. "Absolutely senseless."
From here, Kolb will likely ask the judge to reconsider the sentence before filing an official appeal. It's hard to know exactly how Kolb feels, but earlier Tuesday she said she can't stop thinking about a song lyrice that says 'I would change the past if I had one wish.'
Cory Gregory, pleaded guilty in April. He is serving 40 years at the maximum security prison at Menard in southern Illinois.
Sarah Kolb
Cory Gregory
