Next-door neighbor killer gets 60-year sentence

WASHINGTON - A 22-year-old Southeast man was sentenced to prison on Friday for the sexual assault and murder of his 77-year-old neighbor.

Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz sentenced Robert Pettus to 60 years in prison for the murder of Martha Elizabeth Byrd.

Judge Kravitz said Pettus was incapable of living peaceably.

Pettus broke into Byrd's Hilltop Terrace home in Southeast on Sept. 4, 2004, and sexually assaulted, strangled and stabbed her, leaving a knife protruding from her chest.

Pettus was Byrd's next door neighbor.

On her nude body he left a note that said: "You souldins [sic] Have cheated on me." A day later, Pettus was seen driving in the victim's Cadillac Deville.

In a memo on sentencing, prosecutors said Pettus "has not accepted responsibility for his crimes, consistently makes excuses for his behavior, has shown no remorse."

During the sentencing, Pettus denied killing Byrd.

Pettus may stand trial for another crime - the alleged rape of a cellmate while Pettus was awaiting his sentencing for Byrd's murder.

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