A Wyoming man who admitted to stabbing his ex-girlfriend in the neck, burying her body beneath a tree and then lying about her whereabouts was sentenced Thursday to between 40 and 100 years in prison.
Sentencing for 39-year-old Andrew Hudson comes 4½ months after he fatally stabbed Ana Carrillo at his Wyoming home. Hudson told police he hid the body near the Grand River in Walker, but eventually directed them to his mother’s home in Grand Rapids Township. Carrillo's remains were found in a shallow grave.
“This was a senseless killing,'' Kent County Circuit Court Judge Mark Trusock said. "You have caused tremendous pain to this woman’s family. Her three children are without a mother. Sir, I hope every day you think of the pain that you’ve caused these three children and their family.’’
Friends and family of Ana Carrillo attended Thursday's sentencing; several wore buttons and shirts bearing her image.
"May you rot in hell,'' Birdie Carrillo, the victim's anguished mother, said outside of court.
Hudson last month pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with evidence as part of a plea deal with the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.
In exchange for his pleas, a separate perjury case was dismissed. The plea agreement called for a minimum sentence of 40 years in prison.
Defense attorney James Scozzari said his client opted not to take the case to trial because he wanted closure for everyone involved. Hudson spoke briefly before sentencing.
“There’s nothing I can say or do to bring Ana back,’’ Hudson said in a barely audible voice. “All I can say is that I’m deeply sorry.’’
The Kent County Prosecutor's Office agreed to let Hudson plead guilty to second-degree murder so long as he disclosed the location of Carrillo's body. It was found buried in his mother’s yard off of Maguire Avenue south of Three Mile Road NE in Grand Rapids Township.
Under the plea agreement, perjury charges were dismissed against three people, including Hudson’s parents.
Birdie Carrillo said the family signed off on the plea agreement in order to bring her daughter's body home.
“We got her and we put her to rest; that’s what we wanted,'' Birdie Carrillo said. "Now this is done and over and we can close a chapter and try to move on the best we can.''
The victim's sister had harsh words for Hudson prior to sentencing. Melinda Gomez called Hudson a 'monster' and said she hopes he rots behind bars.
“How could someone wake up one day and decide after 16 plus years, to take the life of the person they claim to love and the mother of his children?'' Gomez said before a packed courtroom. “He deserves no sympathy. None whatsoever. Just like he showed my sister.’’
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker said his office had a strong circumstantial case against Hudson even without a body. But a conviction without a body would have been difficult for Carrillo’s family, he said.
“We took first-degree murder off the table and then offered second-degree murder because we wanted the body,’’ Becker said earlier. “We wanted the body for the family. Without that, we wouldn’t have had the body.’’
Dismissing charges against Hudson’s parents and step-mother, he said, was part of the package.
Hudson’s mother, Nancy DeCamp, 63, father, Lyle Hudson, 62, and Lyle Hudson’s common-law wife, Angela Ruth Wilson, 57, were facing up to life in prison for perjury.
Carrillo, 35, was last seen alive on Sept. 3. Police say Hudson lured Carrillo to his home on Colby Avenue SW under the pretense of picking up their three children. The kids were not there, however.
Blood evidence, the contents of a burn barrel and statements Hudson made to family members was among evidence presented against him at a preliminary hearing in Wyoming District Court.
Soon after her disappearance, family members searched for her body in Newaygo County. The search then focused on the Grand River in Walker. Hudson accompanied investigators on a search near Johnson Park off of Butterworth Drive SW in Walker. The Nov. 8 search took place the same afternoon his preliminary hearing got underway.
Cellphone date taken from Hudson’s phone the morning of Sept. 3 placed him in the area of Johnson Park. Becker said he believes Hudson was at Johnson Park looking for a place to dump the body before finally opting for the Grand Rapids Township site.
Hudson on Nov. 9 told police where they could find Carrillo’s body. He then agreed to have his criminal case advance to Kent County Circuit Court for plea negotiations.
“I guess justice was served,'' Birdie Carrillo said through tears. "Is it enough? I don’t think so.''
Trusock noted that Hudson will be 79 years old before he can even be considered for parole.
“You’ve caused pain to your family and friends. And what for?'' Trusock said. “There’s no excuse and there’s no justification for this whatsoever.’’
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WZZM 13 app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@wzzm13.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.