Regardless of relationship issues or financial problems or extreme intoxication, Judge Holly Brown said that nothing explains or justifies Jake Collins murdering his wife, Crystal, by first beating her head with a cast-iron frying pan and then slitting her throat.

“The defendant knew what he was doing and knew that it was wrong,” Brown said.

The comments came Monday afternoon just before Brown sentenced Collins to 105 years in the Montana State Prison for felony counts of deliberate homicide, tampering with evidence and a weapons enhancement for murdering his 32-year-old wife in their Bozeman home on New Year’s Day 2017.

Collins will have to serve nearly 26 years before he is eligible for parole.

Brown called the crime calculated, outrageous, aggravated and intolerable, and said that Collins could not be trusted to safely function in the community and needed a long prison term.

“It is impossible with what has been given to the court,” Brown said, “to actually comprehend what happened on Jan. 1, 2017.”

At Monday’s sentencing hearing, Crystal’s family begged Brown to give Collins the maximum punishment.

Crystal’s mother, Margie McGivern, was the first of the family to testify and brought with her to the stand a silver urn containing her daughter’s ashes. The urn stayed on the witness stand as one by one, six other members of Crystal’s family spoke to Judge Brown and, pointedly, to Collins.

“This is what I have left of my daughter,” said McGivern, pointing to the urn. “I would have never given my daughter to you, ever. I’m ashamed I gave her to you, Jake.

“I will probably always hate your guts,” she continued, through tears. “You killed my family, Jake.”

Collins’ supporters, however, asked for mercy.

In letters to the judge and in testimony Monday, his family and friends described him as a kind, soft-spoken “gentle giant” who is a hard-working and talented stonemason devoted to family.

“He was kind,” said Linda Carson, his mother. “He’s been an open and easy, not just son, but friend.”

Folks who knew Collins all said they were shocked to hear the news of Crystal’s murder. The man they knew wasn’t capable of such violence, they said. It was an anomaly, they said.

When handing down her sentence, Brown said Crystal’s murder has resulted in a loss “that cannot be described.”

Brown noted that after striking Crystal with the pan, instead of calling 911, Collins dragged her to the shower to cut her throat and “ostensibly, to put her out of her misery.” He then lied to his children, to Crystal’s family and to law enforcement before finally admitting to what he did, Brown said.

Brown said that Collins is smart, hardworking and had his own job, so should have known that he had options if he felt like his relationship with his wife wasn’t working. There was separation, divorce, and other options that he had spoken with Crystal’s family about, Brown said.

As part of the sentence, Collins was also ordered to pay $5,500 in restitution for funeral and counseling costs. He received credit for 652 days already served.