LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A judge has sentenced a Louisville man to 50 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend, Amanda Berry, and abusing her corpse in 2020.
In January 2020, officers found Berry's body in a storage tote in the basement of the house they were living in after her mother filed a missing person's report.
Judge McKay Chauvin says William Sloss refused to appear and that he threatened to fight and spit on Metro Corrections officers if brought to court Tuesday.
"He has defied the court repeatedly, he has disrespected the process repeatedly, he has disrespected the victim, he has disrespected the victim's family, he has disrespected council," Chauvin said.
Sloss refused to go to court several times during his trial. Chauvin decided to move forward with his sentencing without Sloss being there because he wanted to protect the officers.
"In the 30-plus years I have been involved in the criminal justice system, I've probably known five bad people. People who don't know the difference between right and wrong and don't care. And I think Mr. Sloss is one of them," he said.
While Sloss is sentenced to 50 years in prison, he will be eligible for parole in 20 years. However, Chauvin recommends he stay behind bars.
"Unless he's completely different than the day he went in, he should never get out. He's a dangerous, dangerous person and he will hurt somebody if he ever gets out," Chauvin said.
Earlier this year, Berry's family filed a lawsuit on behalf of their daughter, accusing police of failing her and demanding accountability.
Before Berry was murdered, she called the police after escaping from the home, asking them for help.
A Public Integrity Unit report revealed Berry told responding officers Sloss refused to let her leave the house. She told the officers he hit her, chased her down the street, held her in the house and took away her phone.
The officers did not complete a report nor did they arrest Sloss at the time. The officers involved were both served with citations and pleaded guilty, but the charges were later dropped after they took an 18-hour domestic violence course.
Berry's family filed a lawsuit against the city, saying they should have done more to help her. WHAS11 checked the status of the lawsuit -- it is still moving through the court system.
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