Troy Brake: life without parole

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD) - Troy Brake was sentenced to life without parole today for the murders of the woman who once took him into her home, her sons and a young woman.

Ottawa County Circuit Judge Edward Post had no choice but to sentence him to four life terms without the possibility of parole -- the mandatory term for first-degree murder.

An Ottawa County jury found Brake, 31, of Grant, guilty in late May for the September 2008 slayings of Sharm Zimmer, her sons, Jeremy and Tyler, and Jeremy's girlfriend, Katherine Brown, at the Zimmer family home in Wright Township.

The sentencing hearing allowed relatives of the victims their only chance to speak directly to Brake.

Of the seven speakers, Katherine Zimmer, the wife of Robert Zimmer Jr., went first. She talked about the loss of three family members -- that Sharmaine Zimmer would no longer be at the Wright Tavern to greet them, or that her husband's brothers would no longer be around.

"We won't see Tyler get a new truck, won't see him find love and marry. We won't see him have kids and grow old," she said. "He was taken from us."

She said that Katherine Brown "had become part of our family...A fun-loving girl with a beautiful personality...we thought she was perfect for Jeremy."

Brown's friends then took their turn addressing the court. Elizabeth Kurtz said Brown was "the closest I had to a sister." Ben Barkow, who knew her through Trinity Lutheran Church, said "Everything was turned upside down when Katherine was killed." Barkow, who was a pall bearer at her funeral, said "there were more than four victims created that night."

Perhaps the most poignant statement came from Katherine's 12-year-old brother James.

"I speak on behalf of my sister, Katherine," he said. "My sister was a nice person and a wonderful sister. A beautiful smile that could light up a room, and had a warm personality..After my dad died, Katherine was my go-to person. We could talk about anything."

Then two of Brown's aunts and her mother addressed the court.

Ann Kik-Powers thanked Mary Parker for having the courage to stand up to Brake. He attacked Parker, a prostitute, which led to his arrest in this case. She testified against him in her trial and in this trial.

Then Natalie Kik-Brown, holding up photos of her daughter Katherine and her family, took the time to speak her mind.

"On Sept.29, 2008, a monstrous black cloud engulfed our part of the world. Never will I understand the abyss of darkness in his soul. How could Troy Brake take the lives of four loving, good people?"

Natalie Kik-Brown said the dark cloud is gone because good wins out over evil. "She was a gift. I am so thankful and proud to be her mom."

Defense attorney Paul McDonagh has said he plans to appeal the verdict.

Brake refused to comment as he left the courtroom.

But his father did. "I do not believe with the evidence that Iseen, I sat through everything, that there was anything that connected my boy to this thing," said Tad Brake. "There was nothing."

Rose Key, Sharm Zimmer's sister, told 24 Hour News 8 , "Life sentencing isn't good enough. I think he deserves to have the same punishment that we're going to have the rest of our lives. We're never going to get to see our family. never get to talk to them, hug them, tell them we love them, spend Christmas, birthdays, holidays with them."

Although prosecutors weren't required to prove a motive, they theorized that Brake was targeting Katherine Brown, that he killed the Zimmers so he could rape her, then he set her and the home on fire.

Brake's family, including his mother, father, sister and brother, as well as his girlfriend, have stood behind him, saying he is not capable of murder.

Brake had been sentenced to prison for raping and trying to kill a prostitute in Grand Rapids. It was his arrest in that case that led investigators to him in the quadruple homicide. The key to the case: shell casings from a gun found in his home matched those found at the murder scene.

Another charge against Brake for a different Grand Rapids assault was dropped by prosecutors June 22, once Brake's fate in the Wright Township case was sealed.