ELIZABETH -- A man requested to see a bottle of cologne at the store where Zoila Nova worked in Plainfield, but what happened when she turned to show him has stayed with her every day.

It was Oct. 5, 2013, when the man, James Knight, shot Nova in the chest, authorities said. They said when his gun jammed, he used weapon to hit her in the head, and finally beat her with a chair.

"When I walk, I walk in fear," Nova wrote in a statement that was read in court today. "I live in fear. People like (Knight), why should he be allowed to be free?"

Moments later, Superior Court Judge Robert Mega imposed a life sentence, ordering that Knight, now 59, serve at least 63 years before he could become eligible for parole.

Mega noted that Knight had a criminal record dating back to 1977. He said that Knight had cased the store before he attempted to rob Nova.

"The defendant knew the victim was alone and she was unsuspecting," Mega said. He added that Knight showed no remorse.

In the minutes before he was sentenced, Knight told the judge he was innocent of all charges from the robbery and the shooting that occurred at Alondra's Variedades - a convenience store on the 300 block of Park Avenue in Plainfield.

"I never seen this woman, not one day. I never did anything to harm this woman," said Knight, who contended that Plainfield police and the Union County Public Defender's Office that represented him failed listen to his claims. "If the Plainfield Police Department and the public defender investigated this proper, I would not be here."

A witness reportedly saw Knight flee the store and followed him to a nearby appliance store where police arrested him, charging him with attempted murder, robbery, aggravated assault and other crimes, authorities said shortly after the arrest.

Days after the shooting, Nova's son, Edward Duarte, told a reporter that his mother at first thought the gun was a fake and tried to brush it away with her hand before she was shot.

Union County Assistant Prosecutor David Zeitzoff, speaking before the sentence was announced, said the beating of Nova was the worst he had seen in his years as a prosecutor.

"Her blood was strewn throughout the walls of her store," Zeitzoff said. He read Nova's statement to the judge.

Last November, a jury convicted Knight of attempted murder, robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon and other charges.

The maximum sentence for the first-degree crime of attempted murder is 20 years, but Mega granted the prosecution's request to impose an extended sentence because, with his long record, Knight fit the criteria of a persistent offender.

Mega also imposed a 20-year sentence for the robbery and a 10-year term for weapons possession, with all sentences to be served concurrently.

Tom Haydon may be reached at thaydon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Tom_HaydonSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook.