A man who pleaded guilty to murdering his wife in 2018 will likely spend the rest of his life in prison for her death.
On Wednesday, Brandon Norton was sentenced to 40-60 years plus 18-24 months, with credit for 762 days served.
Norton was originally charged with second-degree murder for the death of his estranged wife, 32 year old Jennifer Norton. Charges were eventually upgraded to first degree murder.
Norton had turned himself in to authorities on June 5, 2018, saying he had murdered his wife the night before in a domestic clash in their Bellevue home, Bellevue Police said at the time.
Dolly Mason, Jennifer’s mother, was at court Wednesday. Mason said she lost her firstborn and best friend on the same day and that four of the five children were home when Brandon killed Jennifer.
Mason asked for the judge to sentence Brandon to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Jennifer’s grandmother, Diane Williams, shared the couple’s history including Jennifer going back to Brandon in fear of losing their children. “He had a choice,” Williams said. “He could have chosen to reunify their marriage in the future... he chose to end her life.”
A group in the courtroom wore purple shirts that read, “The scars you can’t see are the hardest to heal.” Under the quote, was the number for the domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233.
The judge asked whether Brandon had anything else to add; he replied no.