Husband of murdered 21-year-old barista stares down her killer in court as he is sentenced to life without parole



Clint Heichel held the gaze of convicted killer Jonathan Holt on Monday at court in Portland, Oregon

Mr Heichel told his wife's murderer: 'I will see her again. You will not'



The husband of a 21-year-old woman who was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and shot dead stared down her killer in court on Monday as he demanded his former neighbor look him in the eye.

Clint Heichel, who is a Jehovah's Witness, at first said nothing as he held the gaze of Jonathan Holt, a fellow church-goer, who finally admitted to killing Whitney Heichel last month.



Jonathan Holt entered his pleas on Monday at circuit court in Portland, Oregon and was sentenced to life in prison without parole over the death of Mrs Heichel, a Starbucks barista.



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Justice: Clint Heichel stares down the man who murdered his wife Whitney as he attends court in Oregon on Monday

Guilty: Jonathan Holt begged for forgiveness as he was sentenced to life without parole for kidnapping, sexually assaulting and then shooting Mrs Heichel

Mr Heichel's husband took the stand and silently looked at Holt before telling the killer: 'I will see her again. You will not.'

Holt forced himself to lift his head to look at the bereaved husband but then lowered his eyes to the ground.



The killer had waited outside the young woman's Gresham apartment the morning of October 16, 2012, then talked her into giving him a ride on the way to her job at the coffee shop.



Investigators say he then ordered her at gunpoint to drive him to Rosyln Lake in Clackamas County, where he forced her to perform oral sex on him and then shot her four times.

Holt also addressed the court, saying: 'I want to say that I'm sorry, but at the same time I know that doesn't mean anything.'

Picture of happiness: The young married couple were embarking on their life together when Whitney was tragically murdered last October

In love: Mrs Heichel shows off her wedding ring as her husband Clint looks on

Mr Heichel, a devout Jehovah's Witness, told oregonlive.com outside the court: 'I wanted him to look me in the eye before I said anything. A man should be owning up to the things that he's done.

'You should be able to look a man in the eye. It's about as simple as that.'

Whitney's family, friends and members of her church filled the courtroom to see the man who murdered her sent to jail.



Holt had originally pleaded not guilty after being arrested and charged with the young woman's murder last year.



He was due to go to trial in April next year but changed his plea last month. he said that he had shot and killed Mrs Heichel.

Locked up for life: Holt bowed his head in court as Whitney's family took the stand to tell of their devastation at her death

Holt sobbed as he also heard statements from Whitney's mother, sister and mother-in-law who referenced their strong faith several times as they spoke.



The Heichel family also said that Holt's family had suffered because of his heinous crimes.

Holt was commended by the judge for not making Mrs Heichel's family wait for longer for a trial.



Prosecutors said they had achieved their goal by having the murderer locked up for the rest of his life.



Grief: Mr Heichel, who is a devout Jehovah's Witness, breaks down at the time of his wife's murder last year

In love: The couple were devout Jehovah's Witnesses and had married young

Whitney Heichel was reported missing by her husband on October 16 last year after she didn't turn up for work at Starbucks.



The close-knit community of Gresham came forward with a wealth of information to help police and search crews canvassed the surrounding area.



Three days after she went missing, Mrs Heichel's body was found on Larch Mountain.



At the time of his arrest in 2012, Holt told police he had desperately tried to hide evidence and confessed to downloading child pornography.



The 25-year-old killer discarded one handgun in bushes at his north Portland workplace and tossed another handgun in the grass outside the suburban Gresham Police Department, just before confessing to sexually abusing and killing Heichel.



Heichel also admitted to breaking into the Heichels' home to steal an iPhone before abducting her and to downloading child pornography on his home computer.

