Mercer County, Pa. - A Sharpsville man who has admitted to the beating death of his girlfriend and the kidnapping of her baby daughter, received his punishment.

It was an emotional day for the victim's family in a Mercer County courtroom, as 38-year-old Antonio Velazquez-Rupert was sentenced for his crime.

Velazquez-Rupert pleaded guilty back in April to the December 2016 murder of his girlfriend, 28-year-old Amanda Downs of Masury.

But during his sentencing hearing he never once apologized to the victim's family.  Declining both opportunities offered to him by the Judge to speak prior to his sentencing.

Amanda Downs' mother Lisa Pickard could be heard crying during the hearing.  A victim impact statement was read by the Prosecutor on the parents behalf.  Pickard's mother wrote:

"Almost everyday I go to the cemetery and sit with her because that's the close I can get to her.  The day Amanda died a part of me died too."

According to Mercer County District Attorney Peter Acker, Velazquez-Rupert beat the victim to death, kidnapped her  eight-month-old baby, stole her car and her bank card.  But he was located and arrested a short time lately because of an AMBER Alert.  The baby was unharmed.

Before sentencing the Judge said there's nothing more impactful than the loss of life.  But he also said there are a number of victims, including the young woman who was murdered who had two young daughters, one who was only eight-months-old and who will never have a chance to get to know her mother.

"At least one of the children when the body was found were in bed with her you know covered in blood," District Attorney Acker said.

Velazquez-Rupert is ordered to serve 35 to 70 years in prison.

The victim's brother Charles Downs vowed to be at every parole hearing to make sure his sister's killer never sees the outside of a prison cell again.