Stepdad gets max sentence for murder

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Ali Mohamed Mohamud was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Thursday, after a crime people describe as vicious, horrifying and brutal. Mohamud received the maximum sentence for murdering his stepson.

In court Thursday, Mohamud apologized for his actions. He said the past couple of months have been painful for him, and he feels bad he let down his children. He said he took someone away that he loved so much.

Mohamud said he wanted Abdi to have a good education and opportunities he never had. He said if he knew what he was doing, he never would have harmed him. Mohamud said, “I lost my son.”

State Supreme Court Judge Christopher Burns said, “You didn’t lose your son, you sacrificed him in your rage.”

Abdifatah’s mother spoke it court, explaining that Abdi’s death is like a bad nightmare that she keeps waking up to.

In October, a jury found Ali Mohamed Mohamud guilty of murdering 10-year-old Abdifatah Mohamud. The step father gagged the boy with a sock and duct tape, bound his hands and beat him nearly 70 times with a rolling pin.