New Jersey man sentenced to 150 years in prison for killing family members in 2017

A New Jersey man who killed three family members and a family friend with a semi-automatic rifle on New Year’s Eve in 2017 has been sentenced to 150 years in prison.

Scott Kologi, 20, was sentenced on Thursday after being found guilty in February of four counts of first-degree murder and a weapons-related misdemeanor.

Police were alerted to his family’s home shortly before midnight on December 31, 2017. Kologi had shot his mother, father, sister and grandfather’s companion.

The shooter, who was 16 at the time, had fired 14 times, prosecutors said. Kologi’s grandfather, brother and another family friend were present in the house but were not injured.

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« These were evil acts, committed by someone who knew exactly what he was doing, » Monmouth County Assistant District Attorney Sean Brennan said during the hearing, according to a news release. « He killed them because he could. He killed them because he wanted to. »

Monmouth County Supreme Court Judge Marc LeMieux said the homicides caused « immeasurable harm », according to Asbury Park Press.

“It is the intention of this court that this defendant will never again see the light from outside a prison cell,” LeMieux said during the hearing. “I hope one day you will realize the magnitude of what you have done here.”

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A prisoner behind the bars of the prison cell.
(Stock)

Kologi will not be eligible for parole until 127 years and six months into his sentence.

Lawyers for the defendant had used an insanity defense during the trial, but prosecutors argued the shooter’s actions were deliberate and he knew what he was doing was wrong. Prosecutors said Kologi researched whether the gun would be effective against officers wearing bulletproof vests.

On the night of the shooting, Kologi called his mother to his bedroom, where he had turned off the lights. He shot and killed her as she entered, then shot and killed her father who had run to find out what had happened.

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The teenage gunman would then kill his sister and his grandfather’s companion. Kologi’s sister was visiting her home after college.

Defense attorney Richard Lomurro argued his client was mentally ill and only asked for a 30-year prison sentence, Asbury Park Press reported.

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« At the end of the day, Scott is not a cold-blooded killer, » Lomurro said. « Scott is, and was, seriously mentally ill. But he will be sent to state prison to be with cold-blooded killers. »