A Utah teenager who kidnapped a woman in Des Moines, Iowa, for her sports car and then murdered her near the Platte River was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday.
Anousone Soukharith, 19, of Fillmore, could have received the death penalty. He was sentenced to two life terms, one for first-degree murder and the second for kidnapping.Soukharith was convicted Dec. 11 in the shooting death of Karen Logsdon, 42. He also was convicted of kidnapping, robbery and use of a firearm.
Prosecutors argued that Soukharith should be sentenced to die because of the heinous nature of the crime. Defense attorneys said Soukharith should be spared because of his age and difficult childhood.
Soukharith's father, Psay Soukharith, fled with his family from Laos in 1979. They went to Thailand where they spent a year in jail and in refugee camps before coming to the United States.
Authorities said Soukharith confronted Logsdon at gun-point outside her Des Moines craft shop after telling friends that they should steal her car. He then climbed into the back seat and forced Logsdon to drive west.
In a muddy, wooded area between Omaha and Lincoln, Soukharith forced Logsdon to get out of the car and walk into the woods as he watched from the road.
He shot her once when she was about 15 feet away.