BOULDER, Colorado (AP) -- A teenager who stabbed his girlfriend's mother to death was sentenced to 40 years in prison Tuesday, after he apologized to her family for causing "pain and tears and grief."Prosecutors say Linda Damm's daughter, Tess, told Bryan Grove to kill her mother.
The 52-year-old was stabbed 18 times in February, and her body lay in her car for nearly a month while Tess Damm, then 15, and her friends used the Lafayette woman's debit card, authorities say.
Grove, 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in November. He will be eligible for parole after 30 years.
"I apologize for the pain and tears and grief I caused," Grove told members of Damm's family in court Tuesday. "I lay myself at your mercy and ask for it."
Tess Damm, now 16, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and is scheduled to go on trial in May.
Authorities found Linda Damm's body February 28, more than three weeks after they believe she was killed.
Investigators say Tess Damm had complained to police that her mother was an abusive alcoholic.
Police said the teens tried twice to get rid of the body but failed. They were planning a third attempt when they were arrested, police said.
A third teen pleaded guilty to an accessory charge for helping put the body in the car and was sentenced to two years in youth corrections and six months of parole.
A fourth pleaded guilty to tampering for helping others try to dispose of the body. He was sentenced to six months of work release, six months of electronic surveillance and three years of probation