A Cropseyville man, who in June shot and killed three members of his family, was sentenced Wednesday.
Christina Hallenbeck is the mother of the late 27-year-old Whitney Fowler — one of three victims shot and killed by Joshua Fowler last year.
Joshua Fowler pleaded guilty to the murders in November, admitting to killing his wife, Whitney; his father, Wilson Fowler; and his grandmother, Anita Crandall.
Hallenbeck was one of three people to read victim impact statements Wednesday.
She said Whitney had been experiencing physical, mental and emotional abuse at the hands of Joshua Fowler before being killed.
“While her life was being taken, she was doing everything she could to survive, she reached out for help and was pleading for safety, while facing the person who was supposed to protect her,” Hallenbeck said.
According to New York State Police, Whitney Fowler had called Rensselaer County 911 dispatch, saying she and Joshua had been fighting.
During the call, dispatchers heard what they believed to be gunshots.
Investigators would later find Whitney dead outside her home in the rural town of Grafton, New York. Crandall and Wilson Fowler were found dead inside.
Wayne Lundgren, Whitney’s father, also shared statements in the packed courtroom.
Lundgren addressed Joshua Fowler directly, intermittently glancing at his daughter’s killer, who stared with indifference at a fixed point on the table in front of him.
“Please rot in hell, please live the rest of your life in misery and please have a very painful death, just like the death you gave my daughter Whitney in which she never deserved,” Lundgren said.
After speaking, Lundgren returned to his seat in the courtroom’s gallery and choked back his tears.
Judge Jennifer Sober gave Joshua Fowler an opportunity to be heard before delivering a sentence.
He declined to comment.
Sober then sentenced Fowler to 45-years-to-life in prison.
“Mr. Fowler, your actions are the most despicable actions that I have ever, ever been involved in and I have been involved in the criminal justice system since the 90s. What you have done to your wife her family, your own family, I don’t even have words,” Sober said.
Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly applauded the family’s bravery in sharing their experiences.
“This is a truly horrific crime which has shattered a family in a matter of seconds, they came to court today and spoke and honored their loved ones in such a way that I think each of us will leave knowing a little bit more about those three family members whose lives were so tragically taken,” Donnelly said after the proceedings.
Speaking directly to WAMC after the sentencing, Hallenbeck said her daughter had been trying to leave her husband before being killed.
“I think he was losing control, that’s what happens when someone is an abuser. They lose control and they snap. That’s why it’s so important to leave, so important, make a plan, have a safety plan and leave,” Hallenbeck said.
