HILLSBORO, Ore. (KOIN) — Jaime Tinoco, the man convicted of killing Nicole Laube in August 2014, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Laube’s family took the stand Thursday in the penalty phase of Tinoco’s murder trial.
“On August 19, 2014, our families were shattered,” Laube’s sister Chelsea Kaaumoana said.
Laube’s husband explained how difficult it has been to tell his four children why they no longer have a mother.
“We had to tell her someone was so cruel in this world that they had to stab her because they wanted to see what it was like to stab someone,” Chris Laube said.
He talked about how his son likes to sit by the window on airplanes in hopes of seeing his mom in heaven and how he didn’t have a mother for the Mother’s Day tea party.
Kaaumoana asked the jury to “make sure the defendant can never hurt another family” like he hurt theirs.
Several jurors as well as members of Tinoco’s family were in tears in court Thursday.
Tinoco’s family was expected to testify as well. However, after hearing the testimonies of Laube’s family, they opted not to take the stand.
Tinoco, now 20, was convicted Tuesday of aggravated murder and unlawful use of a weapon. He killed the 29-year-old mother of 4 on August 19, 2014, stabbing her as she passed out leasing flyers at the apartment complex where she worked.
But since Tinoco was 17 at the time he killed her, he will not face the death penalty. He is facing life in prison, but the only question Thursday was whether he’ll be eligible for parole.
He is currently serving a 14-year sentence for raping a woman outside Autzen Stadium in Eugene about a month after he killed Laube.
During the opening statements of this penalty phase, prosecutors gave the jury insight into who Laube was and the impact her death had on her family. They also detailed Tinoco’s criminal history.
Several law enforcement witnesses took the stand.
The defense argued Tinoco, who they claim is an untreated schizophrenic, doesn’t deserve a true life sentence. They believe he should be given the opportunity for parole if his behavior gets better with treatment.