Clayton Man Keith Roberts gets life in prison in murder of Morehouse College student

A man convicted of murdering a Morehouse College student in 2006 received two life sentences on Thursday. Judge Deborah Benefield sentenced Keith Roberts for his role in the killing of Carlnell Walker.

Roberts, once a Morehouse College student, was brought into the Clayton County courtroom escorted by two officers. His waist and wrists were restrained. Before the judge handed down her sentence, Roberts told Benefield that he was convicted of a crime he did not commit, and that he plans to appeal.

"In all the years that I've done this, one of the most unimaginable cases I've ever seen. The horrors that were afflicted over such a period of time by people who knew each other, this case, if any case cries out for the maximum punishment, this one does," said Clayton County Superior Court Judge Deborah Benefield.

Six years ago, Keith Roberts and three other men were arrested and charged with breaking into Walker's Clayton County home to rob him. They tied him up, stabbed him, beat him with a hammer, and after hours of torture, eventually left him in his car trunk to die.

During the course of the trial, it was revealed fingerprint evidence put Roberts at the scene of Walker's murder.

One suspect was acquitted and another took a plea deal. Roberts was the second and final man to be convicted of murder.

Roberts will not be eligible for parole until he's in his late 90s.

"I don't believe the court should keep me in prison or deny me a new trial. I hope Carlnell Walker's family knows that the police and assistant district attoeys have been untruthful, and that, like Carlnell, my life is being thrown away," Roberts said.

Walker's family was present for the sentencing. They say they are pleased by the judge's decision and comforted by what she said.

"I think it's more than fair. Because he's not going home. He's never going home," said Peggy Walker, Carlnell's mother.

They left the courtroom after the sentencing. They say they are going to the home in Clayton County where Walker was murdered and place flowers there. They plan on moving on with their lives, believing Carlnell can now rest in peace.