PUTNAM COUNTY, Ga. — Donnie Rowe's life sentence came as a surprise to lawyers on both sides of the double-murder trial.
Wednesday, Judge Brenda Trammell sentenced Rowe to life in prison without parole.
That came after the jury couldn't agree on the death penalty.
Molly Jett spoke to the some of the key players today about a verdict that brought tears, disbelief, and anger.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills sees death often, but the murders of corrections officers Curtis Billue and Christopher Monica hit him harder.
"It's particularly disturbing when those bodies have uniforms on them," Sills said.
Sills says he was disappointed that the 12 jurors couldn't agree unanimously for the death penalty.
"These are bad men! There are people in our society, the only way you are ever going to control them is to execute them. I am sorry. It's a fact, but it may have been simply been because he was not the man who pulled the trigger," Sills said.
District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale said throughout his career, he has "learned not to dwell on what the jury does."
"I would be lying if I wasn't disappointed or devastated, more so for the victims and more so for my staff, who did a phenomenal job, but I know we put a great case together, a great presentation of the evidence for the jury to consider. They made their decision," Barksdale said.
Defense attorney Frank Hogue said he was "pleasantly surprised" when the jury told Trammell they were split.
"Until we received that note, we had no idea. We are greatly relieved. I say that, too, and acknowledge that they tried a superb case. They had video, they had audio, and they were accomplished attorneys in the courtroom. We had the best of the best in there and the jury couldn't even get halfway to death."
"He got not one iota of punishment for any of those crime because he was already doing life without parole," Sills said.
Both Barksdale and Sills say they're afraid that someday, due to changing laws or new developments, Rowe might become eligible for parole.
Rowe waived his right to appeal.
Georgia juries have sentenced only one person to death in the past seven years.