NEWARK -- Describing the South Orange man as a predator, an Essex County judge on Monday sentenced Basim Henry to life plus 10 years in state prison for his role in the killing of Dustin Friedland during a carjacking at the Mall at Short Hills.

"Most people want nice things, like nice cars -- they work for them," Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin told Henry, 36, in a Newark courtroom filled with Friedland's family and friends. "You, Mr. Henry, you hunt."

After roughly three days of deliberations, a jury found Henry guilty in March on all counts of an indictment charging him with murder, felony murder, carjacking, conspiring to commit carjacking and weapons offenses in the death of Friedland, a 30-year-old attorney from Hoboken.

The same jury also found Henry guilty of possessing a weapon as a previously convicted felon.

Dustin and Jamie Schare Friedland. (Facebook)

Henry was one of four men arrested less than a week after Friedland, who was returning with his wife from an evening of shopping, was pistol-whipped and shot in the head during the theft of his father's Range Rover in the mall's parking deck. His wife, Jamie Schare Friedland, was ordered out of the vehicle by the carjackers but was unharmed.

The Range Rover was later recovered behind an abandoned house in Newark. The murder weapon was never found, according to testimony by investigators at trial.

Jamie Friedland, dressed in black, told the court Monday that her life had been "permanently altered" by Henry's actions. It was the second time in three months that Friedland, who testified as one of the state's witnesses at trial, has appeared before the court.

"A beautiful life and a beautiful future ... that was taken away in the blink of an eye," she said. "It wasn't just someone's car -- it was someone's life."

Dustin's mother, Rose Friedland, told the court that she was "so proud to be his mother," and that there were no words to describe the impact of the killing on his family.

"Perfect husband, cherished brother, beloved son," she said, her husband Wayne and daughter Deanna standing next to her before the court. "These are the words on my son's tombstone."

Asked by the judge whether there was anyone in court who wished to speak on Henry's behalf, defense attorney Michael Rubas said there was not.

Henry, who was on federal probation for a bank robbery conviction at the time of Friedland's death, was tracked by investigators to Easton, Pa. via his cellphone, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court at the time. The U.S. Attorney's Office later dropped a federal unlawful-flight charge in lieu of the state's prosecution of the murder and carjacking case.

In a statement to detectives that was later played for the jury at trial, Henry admitted driving Hanif Thompson, Kevin Roberts and Karif Ford to the mall with the intent to steal a vehicle. He also said he knew Thompson -- the alleged shooter -- was armed, and that he knew his co-conspirators planned to use force to take the SUV.

Surveillance video reviewed later by investigators showed Henry's GMC Suburban fleeing the parking deck shortly after Friedland's killing.

Assistant Prosecutor Brian Matthews, who tried the case with Ralph Amirata, told Ravin Monday that Henry "was figuratively and literally the driving force behind this homicide."

Since the March verdict, Amirata has been nominated to the state Superior Court bench, and his seat at the counsel table was occupied Monday by Assistant Prosecutor Justin Edwab.

An FBI cellphone analyst testified at trial that both Thompson and Ford's phones were active on cell towers near the mall in a 30-minute window around when Friedland was shot.

Cellphone records also supported surveillance video that showed Henry's Suburban following a different Range Rover from the mall's parking lots up the Turnpike to the Fort Lee area three days before the carjacking.

"This is not the defendant's first go-around," Matthews reminded the judge Monday.

Ravin was methodical and deliberate as he worked his way through a list of possible aggravating factors prior to imposing the sentence. As he ruled one of those factors not applicable, Ravin remarked that had he wanted to apply it, he could have -- but as would be seen, it was not a "necessary finding." "There are no mitigating factors," he said.

Reviewing a pre-sentencing report, the judge said Henry has been arrested 14 times as an adult, not counting the carjacking case, and has three prior convictions on indictable offenses, including one in federal court for bank robbery.

"'You're trying to make an example out of me -- I ain't trippin','" he read aloud from Henry's pre-sentencing interview. "That doesn't sound like remorse, that's for sure."

The judge ultimately sentenced Henry "to state prison for the rest of your life" on the first indictment, and to 10 years in prison for the second indictment, with the second prison term running consecutively to the first. He said Henry will have to serve more than 68 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.

The mall's owners are currently battling a lawsuit filed by Jamie Friedland, whose attorney, Bruce Nagel, has argued the mall's negligence in its security practices contributed to Dustin Friedland's death.

Jury selection for Roberts' trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 12. Roberts, who is alleged to have helped Thompson steal the Range Rover, plans to represent himself at trial.

As he read the names of Henry's co-defendants prior to imposing sentence, Ravin briefly paused.

"Kevin Roberts is next," he said.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.