FARMINGTON — Mark Anthony Ott, the man who caused the death of 6-year-old Lacey Lawrence by torching his estranged wife's house, got the maximum prison sentence Monday for that and other related crimes.
Ott, 40, earlier had pleaded guilty to aggravated murder in connection with the girl's death to avoid the death penalty. A jury deliberated the sentencing options and found he should get life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ott also pleaded guilty to first-degree felony aggravated attempted homicide for stabbing his estranged wife's boyfriend, Allen Lawrence, 23 times; first-degree felony aggravated arson for splashing gasoline in the Layton home and setting it ablaze; and second-degree felony aggravated assault for stabbing his teenage stepdaughter. The incidents occurred the night of Sept. 1, 2002.
Second District Judge Michael Allphin officially sentenced Ott on Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole in connection with Lacey Lawrence's death. The judge also imposed a sentence of six years to life for stabbing Allen Lawrence, five years to life for arson, and two to 20 years for knifing the stepdaughter.
The judge ordered the sentences to run consecutively.
Ott currently is in prison for other convictions.
Sporting a shaved head and a considerably heavier and huskier body than at previous court hearings, Ott stood before the judge on Monday in an orange jail jumpsuit and shackles and said, "I am not a murderer."
Ott said a sentence of life without parole was not warranted in his case. "As God is my witness, I did not go intentionally into that house to harm anyone."
Ott made vague references to "the actions of Allen (Lawrence) and Sarah (the stepdaughter)," suggesting they perhaps were responsible for what happened. Ott said he unintentionally took Lacey Lawrence's life, and "I have to live with that every night. How could an innocent child have been taken? She should never have been put into an environment where harm could come to her."
Prosecutor Mel Wilson said consecutive sentences were fitting because every victim deserved justice, and Ott's actions reached well beyond the direct victims to include the entire community.
Outside the courtroom, Wilson said he never believed any of Ott's expressions of remorse. "I felt many times he's tried to blame others for bringing Lacey into the home. He was the instrument of death in this instance."
Allphin said he had to consider, among other things, the gravity and circumstances of the crime and the number of victims. The judge also said jurors later expressed concern about their safety.
Defense attorney John Caine said Ott plans to appeal both the life without parole sentence and the consecutive sentence order.
During the sentencing, Caine said Ott had not been diagnosed with bipolar disorder until he was in prison. The medications Ott was taking before this caused severe mental disruption and that, combined with finding his wife with another man in the house, fueled his rage.
E-mail: lindat@desnews.com