Provo • A Utah man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison without parole for the strangulation death of a woman in her home.
Jerad Gourdin was sentenced for first-degree felony homicide for pecuniary gain, The Daily Herald reported Wednesday.
Belen Perez, 60, returned home and surprised Gourdin in the middle of trying to rob her Provo residence in May 2014, authorities said.
Gourdin strangled Perez with a stereo cord and poured bleach and other chemicals on her before leaving the body in the living room, authorities said.
Perez's son, Carlos Barcelata, arrived home and found her later that day.
Gourdin told 4th District Court Judge Thomas Low that his attorneys did not do as he asked and he did not receive a fair trial.
The judge said the sentencing would proceed and Gourdin left the courtroom, returning to the courthouse holding cells for the remainder of the hearing.
“Life without parole reflects the violent nature of the defendant,” Low said. “He has made himself a dangerous man.”