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'The Shield' Actor Michael Jace Sentenced To 40 Years To Life For Killing Wife
Actor Michael Jace appears in Los Angeles Court for an arraignment on May 22, 2014. (Photo by David McNew-Pool\Getty Images)
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Michael Jace, the actor best known for his role as Julien Lowe on the show The Shield, was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison today for fatally shooting his wife, reports City News Service. On May 31, Jace was convicted of second-degree murder for shooting and killing his wife April in front of their two children in the living room of their home in Hyde Park, a neighborhood in South L.A. In 2014, Jace was arrested after he called 911 and told police, "I shot my wife."
During the course of the trial, Jace's son Nehemiah, who was then 8 years old, described witnessing the murder. He watched as his father dragged his mother April, who had already been shot in the back, into the hallway outside his bedroom (which he shared with his 5-year-old brother Caleb) before shooting her twice in the legs. Nehemiah testified that his father said, "If you like running, then run to heaven" before pulling the trigger—mocking her love of running.
In court on Friday, the L.A. Times reports Jace addressed his wife's family members in an emotional, tearful apology, saying that it was not premeditated, and did not mean to kill her.
"There is absolutely no justification for my actions on that night," Jace, who did not testify, said in court. "I am profoundly sorry for the pain that I've caused everyone."
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According to ABC-7, April's mother Kay Henry got up and left the courtroom in the middle of his spiel. The Times notes that Henry addressed the court before Jace did, and said that when her daughter was killed, "we both died."
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