Melissa Huckaby Sentenced Today

Melissa Huckaby, the former Sunday school teacher was in California court this morning for sentencing and received life without parole for strangling and killing 8 year old Sandra Cantu on March 27, 2009.

Huckaby pled for forgiveness and apologized to Sandra Cantu's mother saying "I'm asking you, Maria, for your forgiveness. I can't imagine forgiving someone who harmed my daughter. I hope someday you can forgive me." Melissa Huckaby also claimed to not understand why she did what she did but knew she owed Sandra Cantu's mother an explanation.

Although it was proven that Sandra Cantu suffered injuries to her genitals, along with a cut on her lip and scratches on her elbow, Melissa Huckaby denied sexually assaulting her saying "She did not suffer, and I did not sexually molest her."

In addition to the injuries reports showed the anti-anxiety medication, Alprazolam was in Sandra's system and police found prescription bottles of the same drug in Melissa Huckaby's residence.

Regardless of Huckaby's denials the truth of the matter is that little Sandra was taken from her family and suffered things that no one, especially a child, should have to endure.

Sandra Cantu was last seen skipping near her trailer home located in Tracy, CA. The trailer park where Sandra resided was also home to Melissa Huckaby which lived with her grandparents and daughter.

Security video from the trailer park shows Sandra looking towards Huckaby's home and then vanished never to be seen again alive.

Two weeks later Sandra Cantu was found stuffed in a black Eddie Bauer suitcase belonging to Melissa Huckaby who was arrested that April. Reports show that Sandra was strangled with a piece of cloth fashioned into a noose.

Melissa Huckaby is 29 years old and the granddaughter of Pastor Clifford Lawless that presides over the church where Huckaby taught Sunday school.

Source:
ABC News/US