HOWELL — As a blue wall of New Jersey State Police troopers looked on, an Atlantic County woman who led police on a search for what turned out to be a non-existent armed man, resulting in the death of one of their own, was sentenced this morning to 15 years in prison.

Diana Hoffman, 31, of Hammonton is already serving a seven-year state prison sentence for eluding police during a high-speed chase in Burlington County.

Today's sentence by Superior Court Judge Anthony Mellaci Jr. in Freehold is tacked onto that, requiring her to serve a total of 8 1/2 years behind bars before becoming eligible for parole.

It was Hoffman's false claim of a man with a gun last June 6 that indirectly led to the death of Trooper Marc Castellano, who was part of a contingent of police officers searching a wooded area off I-195 in Howell. On the shoulder of the westbound lanes of the highway, Castellano, a 29-year-old father of two, was struck by a Volkswagen Jetta driven by a West Point military cadet.

Thirteen state troopers nearly filled two rows of the small courtroom today while Castellano's younger brother Nick Castellano, an Ocean Township police officer, sat in his uniform in the front row with other family members.

Across the aisle, Hoffman's mother, Charlotte Zawojski, sat alone in the back of the courtroom crying.

"But for your actions, the chain of events which culminated in the death of a young father of two... he would be alive today,'' Mellaci said.

Hoffman's attorney, Assistant Deputy Public Defender Donna Wrenn, asked Mellaci for a 10-year prison term or one that would be served at the same time as her Burlington County offenses.

"I'm really sorry. If I could turn back time I would,'' Hoffman said, crying, occasionally turning to Castellano's family. "If I could, I would bring him back. I'm very sorry.''

The plea agreement called for a 15-year prison sentence on top of the seven-year term she was handed April 30 by a judge in Burlington County. Two hours before the crash, state police chased her in her Ford Fusion at high speed on the Garden State Parkway until she left the highway at exit 98 in Wall Township. More than an hour later, police found her car on the side of I-195.

Found in nearby woods, Hoffman told investigators a man with a gun forced her to flee from the trooper. She later admitted there was no man.

Originally facing a life sentence, Hoffman pleaded guilty on April 4 in Monmouth County to a first-degree offense of raising a false public alarm, a second-degree charge of eluding and two motor vehicle offenses for reckless driving and speeding.

Zawojski said her daughter's life spiraled downward a month after Hoffman's brother was fatally shot in a standoff with Atlantic County authorities at the home he shared with his mother and sister last year. She said her daughter took responsibility for her actions, but said the punishment was severe.

"I could see if she murdered him, ran him over with her vehicle,'' Zawojski said.

"I know she was wrong for the eluding, but she wasn't wrong for his death. She wasn't.''

Previous coverage:

• Hammonton woman who made false claim to police, which led to trooper's death, to be sentenced

• Authorities say N.J. woman raised false public alarm that led to State Police trooper's death

• Thousands mourn fallen N.J. State Trooper in Monmouth County