WHEELING — Eugene Talik will spend the rest of his life in prison for a crime his wife says he did not commit.

U.S. District Judge Frederick Stamp sentenced Talik Tuesday to life for the May 25, 2006, killing of Kelly Jo Elliott. Talik pleaded guilty to the murder on Jan. 21.

After the hearing, Talik’s wife, Karen, stood before news reporters on the sidewalk outside the federal courthouse and proclaimed her husband’s innocence.

“I offer my deepest sympathy to the Elliott family,” she said. “But, Gene didn’t kill her. He is a good man.”

Karen Talik said her husband pleaded guilty to the murder in order to avoid a potnetial death sentence. She also suggested Elliott was killed by John Deutsch, a co-defendant who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his part in the killing.

“I think she may have owed him some cocaine money … ,” Karen Talik said of Elliott and Deutsch. “John Deutsch is a loser.”

Talik’s son, 20 year-old Eugene Talik III, said, “It (the sentence) is horrible. My dad didn’t do anything.”

Stamp handed down the sentence after more than two hours of testimony and a brief recess. Stamp said the sentence came after he considered the amount of premeditation, Talik’s efforts to hide the offense and his efforts to involve other people.

“This sentence reflects the seriousness of the crime,” the judge said. “It protects the public from future crimes from this defendant.

“There are too many victims to identify,” Stamp added. “They are on both sides of the courtroom today.”

When asked if he had anything to say prior to sentencing, the convicted Talik stood and faced the judge.

“I’m not good at expressing my feelings,” he said. “I sent a letter to the Elliott family and told them of my remorse.”

U.S. Attorney Sharon L. Potter and Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert H. McWilliams called four witnesses to the stand to tell the story of Elliott’s death.

Jodi Sine, Elliott’s sister, said there were no words to explain the ordeal Talik caused her family, including Elliott’s two children, ages 4 and 7. She said Talik had become a part of the Elliott family by attending weddings, birthday celebrations, funerals and other functions.

How do you tell those kids what he did to their mother?” she asked. “The sentence should confirm right from wrong for them.”

William Baum III, an employee at Talik’s moving business, said that months before the murder, he heard Talik say the death should be made to look like an accident. Another employee, Tammy J. Brenzo, said she, like Elliott, also became romantically involved with Talik. She said Talik had discussed keeping their relationship from his wife.

“He said, ‘If you tell Karen, I will kill you,'” Brenzo testified.

Deutsch also took the stand Monday. He presented an account of the crime from the murder at the lower truck stop at Dallas Pike to the burning and disposal of the body in northern Pennsylvania.

Kathy A. Elliott, the victim’s mother, sobbed as she recalled how Talik was actively involved with the Elliott family and with Kelly Jo’s children. She said the last time she saw her daughter was May 25, 2006, when Talik and the victim had packed his moving truck with toys, bicycles and clothing in preparation for a weekend camping trip. She said she has custody of her daughter’s children, and they planted a tree near their home in honor of their mother.

“They call it the ‘Mommy tree,'” she said.

Potter said she believes justice has been served.

“The evidence showed that this was a premeditated killing,” she said. “When we agreed to the plea agreement back in January prior to the trial, our mission was to strongly advocate for life imprisonment because we believed that was the appropriate sentence. The last two years have been very difficult for the Elliott family, and we hope that this sentence will help them in their healing process.”

In addition to the sentence of life imprisonment, Talik was ordered to pay $200 in restitution to the Elliott family and $5,596.76 to the West Virginia Court of Claims Crime Victims Fund.