PUNTA GORDA Scott Huss was defiant to the end.
And delusional, according to prosecutors.
Huss, 52, was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2007 murder of his estranged wife, Yana Huss.
The Russian-born woman was stabbed to death at the couples former Port Charlotte home on April 25, 2007. She was 31.
Inside a packed courtroom at the Charlotte County Justice Center, 20th Circuit Judge John Dommerich, who presided over Huss five-day trial more than a month ago, admonished the Punta Gorda man for committing an act he called brutal and vicious.
The judge didnt mince words.
You stabbed your wife savagely, Dommerich said. She was aware of what was happening to her.
Huss stared straight ahead as the judge pressed on.
Noting evidence that showed a troubled marriage from the start Yana Huss filed multiple injunctions for protection against her husband Dommerich said Huss ended the relationship by committing murder. Divorce is a way of ending a troublesome marriage. You chose not to do that. You instead committed a horrendous act, (of) which you were found guilty, the judge said.
Dommerich spoke for about five minutes before sentencing Huss to life in prison. He noted the overwhelming evidence in the case that suggested Yanas murder was premeditated.
A so-called manifesto penned by Scott Huss was found on a file on the defendants computer following his arrest four years ago. Timestamp information from the saved file showed it was first created months before Yana was killed.
I think the state probably could have made a (case for) premeditation, but they chose to prosecute you on second-degree murder, the judge told Huss.
Huss, for his part, remained defiant.
Before sentencing was imposed, Huss read a prepared statement, where he again directed blame to the Russian mafia.
The Russians have won this battle, Huss said, his voice filling the silent but packed courtroom. :sick:
At Huss trial last month, the defense argued Russian mobsters killed Yana Huss after she disobeyed orders to take possession of Scott Huss assets.
Defense attorneys Thomas Marryott and Michael Powell did not offer any argument Wednesday as to sentencing, per Huss request, Marryott said.
The 52-year-old man told the judge Wednesday that he will continue fighting. In time, the truth will be revealed, Huss said. :sick:
Huss sentencing comments did not appear to surprise prosecutors following Wednesdays hearing.
I think sometimes people tell stories so many times they begin to believe them. Assistant State Attorney Dan Feinberg said.
Joyce Huss, Scott Huss elderly mother, watched quietly as her son was taken away from the courtroom. She filed quickly out of the room, flanked by two men.
While the Seminole County woman said she had a lot to say about her son being sentenced to life, she refused to say anything further.
Yanas son, Petir Shalin, witnessed Scott Huss, his then-stepfather, stab Yana repeatedly in the chest and torso.
Impact statements from Yanas family, including Petir, also made an indelible impression on the judge for sentencing.
While Dommerich did not read aloud the statements by Yanas mother, Elena Kuchinskaya; sister, Yulia Nabokova; or son, Petir Shalin, who witnessed the murder, copies were furnished to the media.
The family currently resides in the Netherlands. They did not attend the trial.
I tremble every day when I think of this ugly man, Petir states in the document. The time I lived with him and my mother in Florida has been a time of sadness, a time of mishandling and a loss of children years for (my sister) and me. My dream is: The whole situation will change and my mother will be with me, Petir wrote.
Following Wednesdays sentencing, several friends of Yana Huss were on their phones trying to ring up the late womans family in Europe. They said they were elated that justice had been served.
Hayley, who assisted Yanas family with their efforts to gain custody of the Huss young daughter and Petir, gave a discreet thumbs up to her friends inside the courtroom when Dommerich sentenced Huss to life in prison.
Hopefully (Yanas family) can keep going on with their lives without Scott on their minds, she said."
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