EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — A judge has sentenced a southwestern Illinois man to 24 years in prison for breaking into his estranged wife's bedroom, then raping and kidnapping her before biting off part of her face.
Thirty-two-year-old Thomas Byrd of Granite City was sentenced Wednesday in a case the prosecutor called "something out of a horror film."
Associate Judge James Hackett agreed, saying in court that "we can't allow people to behave this way."
Byrd pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of home invasion and aggravated assault in the July 2008 attack.
The attack took place the same day Byrd was placed on probation for an earlier break-in at the wife's home.
______
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Thirty-two-year-old Thomas Byrd of Granite City was sentenced Wednesday in a case the prosecutor called "something out of a horror film."
Associate Judge James Hackett agreed, saying in court that "we can't allow people to behave this way."
Byrd pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of home invasion and aggravated assault in the July 2008 attack.
The attack took place the same day Byrd was placed on probation for an earlier break-in at the wife's home.
______
Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
