This is the text of April Searor's statement to the court regarding the sentence that Matthew Maxson should receive. April Searor's mother, Diana Cooper, was murdered by Maxson.

On May 25 of 2000, my nightmare started. That was the day that I entered my mother's house and found her lying on the floor, lifeless. When Mr. Maxson decided to kill my mother, he made the decision to kill a part of me, also. Her murder will remain with me for the rest of my life.

Every day, I relive the vision of finding her lying on the floor. Mom was my best friend. She was my rock, my confidant, the center of my world.

The day that Mr. Maxson took her life, he also took my life, as well as my family's. I canot erase the vision of my mother lying in her own blood and the feeling that I had when I realized that she was gone forever.

Her murder has affected every aspect of my life.

Because of you, Mr. Maxson, I cannot open a door and enter a room by myself due to the fear of what may be on the other side. Because of you, I am now afraid to stay anywhere alone. Because of you, there are baseball bats at every door for our protection. Because of you, I can no longer meet my mother every day for coffee at Mimi's. Instead, I drive endlessly, for hours, with no particular destination in mind, because my daily routine has been interrupted forever.

I carry my own guilt because I did not pick my mother up on May 24th to go to my daughter's concert. If I had, you wouldn't bein my life,and she would still be here.

Because Mr. Maxson decided to take my mother's life, my life and my family's lives are suffering. My marriage has suffered and we've had to seek out counseling for our children due to the devastating effects of losing their grandmother in such a violent way.

I miss seeing my mother's smile, hearing her voice, having her call every night to say goodnight. If she was going to bed early, she would call to let me know this. Now, I have to look at a picture of her because she is not here; you took her from me.

Instead of Mom, I have an urn full of ashes to look at. A daily reminder that she will never return to me. You have taken my mother away from me. You have taken my childrens' grandmother away from them. My mother was always at my house on holidays. Now there is an empty space where she once sat. You have stolen our holidays from us. You have changed our lives forever.

My family will attend all parole hearings to ensure that you do not get out of prison to murder someone else. You are a sorry excuse for a human being, and I hope you rot in Hell. Even that would be too good for you.

The only sentence I feel would be right for you is if someone did to you what you did to my mother, except that I would want you to suffer.