GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A man who admitted to killing his sleeping in-laws with a hammer has been sentenced to mandatory life in prison for the 2018 attacks in southern Kent County.
Nathan Samuel Board, 35, was convicted of first-degree murder during a September bench trial. The judge found him guilty, but mentally ill, which means he will be eligible for treatment while in prison.
Judge J. Joseph Rossi on Monday called Board’s conduct “monstrous violence.’’
Several relatives of murder victims Theodore and Patty Syrek addressed the court during sentencing on Monday; Board did not make a comment.
Sarah Syrek-Wood, who was still married to Board at the time of the murders, called his actions “a crime against humanity.’’
“This heinous act has left a gaping hole in all of our lives,’’ she said. “He’s stolen my parents’ lives.’’
Board’s September bench trial included testimony from more than a dozen witnesses. It was Kent County's first murder trial with coronavirus safeguards in place.
Board entered the Bowne Township home of Theodore and Patty Syrek and stood over the sleeping couple for about 45 minutes before attacking them with a hammer, according to testimony.
“As soon as they started moving, he attacked,’’ Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker told the court. “He intended to kill them.’’
Defense attorney John Pyrski asked Rossi to consider Board’s mental state at the time of the killings.
At the time of the murders, Board was separated from his wife, Sarah. She called police and asked for a welfare check on her parents after being unable to reach them by phone.
Kent County deputies entered the home on Sept. 4, 2018 and found what was described as a “scene of horror.’’
Autopsies showed that Theodore Syrek, 66, was struck at least 15 times in the head. Patty Syrek, 62, suffered at least 10 blows to the head.
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