(NECN: Alysha Palumbo, Woburn, Mass.) - Nathaniel Fujita showed very little emotion as the jury found him guilty of first degree premeditated murder in the death of his one time girlfriend Lauren Astley.
Now he will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Through tears Astley’s mother explained the heartache she’s gone through since her daughter was taken from her.
"I will never have the pleasure of the milestones of college graduation, special birthdays, a wedding or grandchildren. And finally the image of her last, excruciating minutes on earth will not leave my brain ever, they torment me and I feel powerless to stop them," Mary Dunne said.
Astley’s father showed compassion for what Fujita’s parents are going through by hugging them after the verdict was read.
Then before the court, he asked for the one thing that only Nate can give him.
"He could step by step with resting and support and determination slowly acknowledge openly what he did. He could apologize for it deeply and repeatedly," Malcolm Astley said.
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Fujita’s attorney William Sullivan says his client may apologize one day, but it will be a private matter.
"I know how badly he feels, mental illness, these are issues that are an ongoing process of how people react and deal with what happened," Sullivan said.
But it seemed an apology would not be enough for Astley’s mother, who couldn’t help but dwell on living the rest of her life without hearing the words "mom" or "mommy" ever again.
"As a divorced woman I face dying alone and that is scary," Dunne said.
