Man Gets Seven Life Sentences For Killing Seven Women
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An evil, psychotic, serial predator.
That's how Northwest Indiana prosecutors described Darren Vann.
The former Marine is now facing seven life sentences for killing seven young women.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports family members had hoped for an apology at today's sentencing, but never got one.
Tiera Batey was the fiance and mother to Marvin Clinton's six-year-old son.
Their photos are among the items Clinton carried to court today. He hoped to show them to Darren Vann, the man who confessed to killing her.
"I just wanted to hear him say why he did it," said Clinton.
Batey was one of seven women Vann admitted he met through prostitution or drugs sales and later murdered.
In October of 2014, he led police to six bodies in abandoned homes in Gary. One was found in a motel.
Friday at the Lake County Courthouse, a judge entered the plea deal that allows Vann to avoid the death penalty, and gives him seven life sentences for each woman.
Prosecutors said it also spares families years of agony.
"For 20 years they'd be here on hearings and motions. When we explained that to them, every one of them said this is what we want. (They said) we want him to die jail," said Lake County Indiana Prosecutor Bernard Carter.
Vann was supposed to show up in court for the sentencing, but at the last minute he signed papers saying he wasn't coming, and that is his right.
As relatives of the women left the courthouse, some chose not to speak to reporters.
But Clinton expressed his disappointment at Vann's absence and no apology.
"He could have come to court and say 'I'm sorry,' even if he didn't mean it," said Clinton. "And that would have been something versus nothing."
Vann's attorney did apologize on behalf of his client, but relatives say that wasn't good enough.
Authorities believe Vann may have preyed on victims for more than 20 years, and there may be more victims than the seven he confessed to killing.
