INDIANAPOLIS - A man who admitted he shot and killed an Indianapolis police officer during a routine traffic stop was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole plus 40 years.
Thomas Hardy said apologized for the murder of Officer David Moore during a sentencing hearing in a Marion County court.
"I don't know why this happened," the 61-year-old Indianapolis man told a courtroom crowded with Moore's family, fellow officers and officials.
"I know you have hate in your heart for me, but not as much as I have for myself," he said. "What happens to me doesn't make any difference now. All I can say is I'm sorry."
Judge Mark Stoner accepted the plea agreement under which Hardy avoids the death penalty. Hardy pleaded guilty last month to charges of murder, robbery with a deadly weapon and possession of a handgun by a serious violent felon. At the time of the January 2011 shooting, Hardy was on parole and facing theft charges from an earlier arrest.
Moore's mother, Jo Moore, wept as she read from a statement she had prepared.
"I needed to tell you face to face - I'm really horrified because you executed my little boy," she told Hardy. "I'm grateful you are willing to take the plea. I'll work on forgiveness."
Moore, a six-year veteran of the department, was shot twice in the face and once in the thigh during a traffic stop on Jan. 23, 2011. He died days later.
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry, who had sought the death penalty for Hardy, said he accepted the deal only at the urging of Moore's parents.
Spencer and Jo Moore said they accepted Hardy's plea because it's what David would have wanted.
"What we felt was that once Mr. Hardy had asked for compassion from us, it was our duty to provide it," said Spencer. Moore, a retired police officer. "By showing compassion, we actually honored (David) and honored the fellow officers."
"Thomas Hardy will die in prison," Curry said in a statement after the hearing. "He has the rest of his life to reflect upon his violent acts and the life he took from this family and our community.
"But David Moore's legacy will live on," he said. "We see him in the lives of those he saved through organ donations. We see him in the work of the foundation that bears his name. And we see it in the eyes of those who knew and wished they knew him."
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