POCATELLO — Convicted murderer Brad Scott Compher will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

That was the sentence handed down by Judge Javier Gabiola at the Bannock County Courthouse on Thursday afternoon, providing the final chapter in a murder case that has spanned more than two decades.

Compher, 50, of Pocatello, was convicted in March of last year for the brutal stabbing death of 25-year-old Nori Jones in her Pocatello home in 2004. It was a crime that went unsolved until 2014 when Pocatello police arrested him for her murder. Compher has been an inmate at the Bannock County Jail ever since, with most of those years spent by his defense attorneys and prosecutors arguing about his mental competency.

The courtroom at the Bannock County Courthouse was packed on Thursday afternoon for Compher’s long-awaited sentencing with several members of Jones’ family, current and former law enforcement officers who worked on the case, members of the media and others present.

One of the most emotional moments at the hearing was when Lisa Swallow, Jones’ sister, gave her statement.

With her voice wavering and tears welling in her eyes, Swallow recounted the horrible acts inflicted upon her sister by Compher and described the residual fear, remorse, sadness and anger that she and her family felt and will likely harbor within themselves for the rest of their lives following the grisly murder of Jones.

As tears cascaded down her face and the faces of her family members seated in the audience nearby, Swallow conveyed the countless nights she would cry herself to sleep and the trauma she experienced in the wake of losing her sister. Swallow felt consumed by guilt and grief over the fact she could never resolve differences she had with her sister and mend their relationship.

The act of violence that Compher inflicted upon Jones was especially heinous, made even more so by the fact the two did not even know each other. Compher entered her Pole Line Road home while she slept, stabbed her 22 times, including multiple knife wounds to her chest, abdomen and head, and then slit her throat in a scene that Gabiola described as “horrific and brutal.”

At Thursday’s hearing Bannock County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Jonathan Radford asked the court to consider life in prison without the possibility of parole citing the need to protect the community, adding that punishment and retribution for Compher’s crimes are “certainly warranted here.”

Radford mentioned that it’s part of state and national laws and the U.S. Constitution that Americans have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and the victim was forever robbed of all of those rights by Compher.

In addressing the intellectual and mental disabilities of Compher, Radford relayed that many people with such disabilities still understand what is right and wrong. Radford then recalled the horror of the murder scene in this case and said he had never viewed anything that bloody and disturbing.

He said even Pocatello police officers had difficulty talking about the murder scene with some even breaking down in tears.

The defense, spearheaded by attorney Gary Edward Proctor of Baltimore, told the court during Thursday’s hearing about Compher’s intellectual disabilities along with his limited processing capabilities, citing that he was not a repeat offender or serial killer. Proctor also mentioned how Compher attended educational classes while incarcerated over the last 10 years at the Bannock County Jail.

The defense requested the court “fashion a sentence that gives (Compher) a chance to see life outside of prison cells.”

Compher was then given a chance to address the court and lamented at being treated “like a dog” while incarcerated. He angrily lashed out and said “You guys think this is a joke and this is a game. I didn’t do this crime. I don’t know anything about this. I don’t like judges — I don’t like anyone in this room... you guys are so full of it.”

In terms of expressing any remorse for Jones, Compher said, “I feel bad for this lady, I do, and I’m sure she was a great person. I’m not going to be the problem that everyone says I am.”

At the end of the sentencing hearing, Gabiola relayed that he had took everything into consideration, read Compher’s file and acknowledged his intellectual disability and mental health condition but that considerations had to be made for the “egregious crime” that occurred.

Gabiola concluded that Compher did understand his actions that day in 2004, was a danger to society and his punishment must reflect one of the most serious offenses in society.

Gabiola then handed down the sentence that Compher will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole. The judge also imposed a $5,000 civil penalty against Compher.

Compher could have faced the death penalty for murdering Jones but the courts previously determined that would have been cruel and unusual punishment considering his intellectual disabilities.

Gabiola said Compher had no remorse for his actions and his denial that he did anything wrong was telling to the judge.

After the sentencing, Jones’ family members tearfully embraced in the hallway outside the courtroom, perhaps finally finding a level of justice and closure decades after her death.