CROWLEY - A defiant, remorseless Robert James Thomas was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the beating death of August Carter outside of a Church Point bar in May 2009. The sentence was handed down by Judge Edward Rubin Tuesday morning.

Prior to the sentencing, a victim’s impact statement was read before the court by Carter’s sister, Darlene Carter.

“My brother had ten kids,” said Carter. “He will never walk his daughter down the aisle. He will never attend any of their graduations. And he never had much but he would give you the shirt off his back.”

“I’m not saying he was perfect, in fact he may have been far from it,” she continued. “But he was very much loved. Two mothers lost their son’s that night. But one of them can still see hers.”

When Judge Rubin asked Thomas if he wanted to address the court and the Carters, without standing up, said in a harsh tone “I didn’t do nothing. This was a miscarriage of justice.”

A jury disagreed and found Thomas guilty of second degree murder on June 13.

Judge Rubin then addressed Thomas.

“You have caused tragedy to both your victim’s family and yours’, he said. “I am sentencing you to serve a life sentence without the benefit of parole.

As he was being led from the courtroom Thomas shouted ‘I’ll be back, y’all, I’ll be back.’

“We just wanted to hear him say ‘I’m sorry’ and we never got that,” said Darlene Carter. “But our family is happy....justice has been served.”

Assistant District Attorney David Smith, who prosecuted the case, was satisfied with the verdict.

“We will just keep on doing what we do,” said Smith. “Keeping criminals like this off the street.”

On May 19 2009, Carter, 46, was beaten to death outside of Joe’s Bar in Church Point. A coroner ruled the case a homicide when he said the cause of death was two cranial fractures caused by being kicked in the head. Thomas, 21, was arrested for the crime two days later.