Full video coverage: Sandy sentenced to life, possible parole after 20

FULL COVERAGE: Murder, Arson on Campbell Street FULL POST 8:20 p.m.The man who fatally stabbed 86-year-old George Martin and torched his Campbell Street home was sentenced to life in prison on Monday.Joseph Sandy, 35, won't be eligible for parole until roughly 2036, after he serves at least 20 years for the murder.He initially faced the possibility of the death penalty, but that was taken off the table on Thursday when Sandy agreed to plead guilty to aggravated murder in Martin's December 2013 homicide.And although Sandy formally admitted guilt for Martin's death during his plea hearing last week, he made no statement and offered no further explanation during his Monday morning sentencing.Rather, Sandy sat in silence, barely moving and eyes down as Martin's daughter, Debi Doughty, and her son, Paul Doughty, spoke about Martin's death."Joey, this is directed towards you — I know how good Dad was to you when you were a boy, and how he reached out to you and tried to help you....To me, this is the hardest thing to fathom: That you could go into my parent's home and do this to my father. My dad would've given you the shirt off his back and the last two nickels in his pocket," said Debi, becoming emotional.Martin's widow, Florence Martin, is a cousin of Sandy's father. She said her late husband was a father figure to Sandy growing up.Said Debi during Monday's hearing: "You don't know, Joey, what you've done to my mother. (She's) struggling to make it everyday."Debi, who now lives in Florida, and son Paul, who now lives in South Carolina, made the long trip north in order to speak at Sandy's sentencing. Florence was unable to join.Like his mother, Paul addressed Sandy directly during the sentencing.In the end, amid tears, he ultimately uttered "I forgive you Joey."But Paul also recounted the tragedy, and how it all unfolded for Martin's family.He spoke of a phone call from his panicked grandmother Florence on the night Martin was killed:"I knew something was wrong — the shrill desperation in her voice wasn't right. My next thought was 'Where's Papa, my God, where is he? The house is on fire'...I frantically called his phone multiple times, and after he didn't answer, I knew I may be facing...the moment I've always dreaded."George Martin wasn't just a grandfather to Paul — he'd raised him, was a father to him, and the pair were best friends. At Paul's wedding, George was even the best man.On Monday, Paul recalled Martin's funeral, where Sandy, not yet identified as the killer, served as a pall-bearer."Joey (decided) to carry that casket. What I didn't know, and what none of us knew, was that there was probably still detectable traces of my grandfather's blood on those hands," Paul said. "Nobody thought about the possibility of the murderer being near."Paul also mentioned testimony that may have surfaced at trial — he said Sandy laughed about Martin's murder while in prison, and lamented not killing his wife, a prime witness against him.Paul emphasized that Sandy also made a conscious choice — "not by influence of drugs" — to be a pall-bearer at the funeral.But prosecutor Kevin Baxter and Judge Tygh Tone seemed to agree it was Sandy's heroin addiction, and drug and alcohol use, that led him to kill George Martin the night of Dec. 3, 2013."We sometimes talk about drugs in this country, and that it's no big deal or they're just hurting themselves. Well here's one specific example...(of how) they tragically hurt others," Tone said. "It's frightening and it's sad for this community to see."Debi and Paul spoke with the Register outside the courtroom following the hearing, after Sandy had been escorted off.Said Debi: "I still have mixed emotions. It's a bit of closure for us, but it's still something we have to work through — I'm always going to miss my father."Paul, meanwhile, called attention to the opiate epidemic."The community tends to put a lot of the burden on police, but it's everybody's job. We all need to take accountability," Paul said. "The drug problem, it's big in this county. We can either put this case behind us and forget about it, or we can take it as a wake-up call — I hope it gives this city a wake-up call.""How many more people?" asked Debi. "When's it going to stop?" POSTJoseph Sandy was sentenced to life behind bars this morning for the 2013 murder of his 86-year-old relative, George Martin.Sandy, 35, won't be eligible for parole until 2036, after he serves at least 20 years for the crime.He remained silent during his Monday morning sentencing before Erie County Common Pleas Court Judge Tygh Tone.Sandy kept his eyes down and did not react as Martin's daughter, Debi Doughty, and grandson, Paul Doughty, directly addressed him.Paul recounted fond memories of his time with Martin, who was like a father to him.He also shared the grisly details of Martin's death.Paul said Sandy joked with him during Martin's funeral two years ago, just a few months before police learned Sandy was the killer.During Monday's hearing, Paul wondered aloud if Sandy still had blood on his hands when he helped carry Martin's casket to the hearse that day.Debi, too, mourned the loss of her father."My dad was one of the kindest, caring people," Debi said. "Joey, this is directed towards you — I know how good Dad was to you when you were a boy. To me, this is the hardest thing to fathom, to comprehend: That you could go into my parent's home and do this to my father. My dad would've given you the shirt off his back and the last two nickels in his pocket."After the hearing concluded on Monday, both Debi and Paul spoke with the Register.Debi still had mixed feelings about the ordeal, but said the day's proceedings brought at least some sense of closure.Paul, meanwhile, called attention to the role Sandy's heroin addiction played in the killing of Martin."The drug problem, it's big in this county. We can either put this case behind us and forget about it, or we can take it as a wake-up call — I hope it gives this city a wake-up call," Paul said.Check back later for the full story from today's hearing.Paul Doughty, left, reads a statement as his mother Debi listens on Monday. Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Erie County prosecutor addresses the court on Monday. Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Debi Doughty addresses Joe Sandy during sentencing on Monday. Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Paul Doughty reads a statement while seated next to his mother Debi on Monday. Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Attorney Aaron Miller talks with Joe Sandy on Monday. Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Joe Sandy is taken out of the courtroom following his sentence to life in prison. Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Joe Sandy is taken out of the courtroom following his sentence to life in prison. Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Paul Doughty and his mother Debi hug investigators following Monday's sentencing. Family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in Judge Tygh Tone's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Debi Doughty hugs Erie County prosecutor Kevin Baxter. The family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in the judge's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.Debi Doughty smiles while talking with Judge Tygh Tone. The family of George Martin spoke at the sentencing for Joe Sandy in the judge's courtroom in Erie County on Monday, February 1, 2016. Sandy stabbed and beat Martin before setting fire to Martin's home.