The man who broke into a Mountain View home and killed an elderly couple, then sexually assaulted a 2-year-old and an elderly woman in 2013 will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
In an Anchorage courtroom Friday, Judge Philip Volland sentenced Jerry Active to 359 years in prison, plus 45 suspended.
Judge Volland called the case “extraordinarily rare” and said, despite Active’s young age he should be imprisoned “for the rest of his life.”
“This crime can only be explained by the complete absence of a moral compass,” he added.
Given an opportunity to speak at the sentencing, Active said he was innocent.
“A mostly white jury couldn’t rely on the true facts in my case, and instead based their finding of guilt and how they felt,” Active said Friday. “I’m not going to lie, what happened to this man’s family is tragic. But until justice is truly served, I’m standing by my innocence until the end.”
The defense tried to make the case that media attention had skewed the jury, referencing a prior request that the trial be relocated.
Active was arrested in May 2013 and charged with the murders 73-year-old Touch Chea and 71-year-old Sorn Sreap. He was also charged with sexually assaulting a toddler and the family’s 91-year-old great-grandmother. The couple murdered were immigrants from Cambodia. They arrived in the U.S. after fleeing the Cambodian genocide.
In April, a jury found Active guilty of multiple counts of murder and sexual assault.
He was released from jail only 12 hours prior to committing the 2013 crimes.
–This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
KTVA’s Eric Ruble contributed reporting
