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Sandra Yi ReportingA man convicted of murdering his girlfriend then dumping her body in the Pineview Reservoir will spend six years to life in prison for the crime. The victim's parents spoke out for the first time since their daughter's death.
Joseph Weatherspoon looked down and cried when the victim's family talked about their pain and their loss. They say there can never be justice in this case.
Two families, united by tragedy, find comfort in each other.
Nancy Messerly: "We're sorry they had to go through this. They're victims as much as we are."
Nancy Messerly is here for her daughter.
Nancy Messerly: "This is the Johanna we knew. She was fun, she was bubbly."
She holds on to the memories; that's all she has.
Nancy Messerly, Victim's Mother: "Everybody's got to remember, when somebody dies, that you don't expect to die, it's hard. It's hard to go on without them."
Johanna McCann was killed last year. Prosecutors say her boyfriend, Joseph Weatherspoon, stabbed her several times then let her bleed to death. He tried to cover it up, wrapping her body in a plastic bag then dumping it in the Pineview Reservoir.
John Messerly, Victim's Father: "He just didn't murder her. He brutally did it, and then he threw her body like a piece of garbage. And the way he did what he did, there is no forgiveness."
In court Weatherspoon told the victim's family he hopes they can forgive. He was tearful as Messerly held up photos taken two Christmases ago. That's when Weatherspoon asked the victim to marry him.
John Messerly: "We opened our house to him as a son-in-law and then he did this. It's tough."
Weatherspoon's family and friends told the judge he's not a violent criminal. They say in his 52 years, he's always been a kind man.
Cecil Laughder, Weatherspoon's Friend: "He used to drive my wife home at night from the restaurant we used to have and take care of my yard, work down at my shop."
Laughder says his friend is remorseful. He wants to go to prison. But the victim's family says no amount of prison time can replace the life that was lost.
Nancy Messerly: "Johanna's not here anymore, so if he could have given her life back, it would be ok, but he can't give her life back."
Weatherspoon has never said why he killed his girlfriend, only that she was being mean to him. The Messerlys say it will ultimately be up to their daughter to forgive him.
Johanna McCann left behind a teenage son.
