COLUMBUS (WCMH) – The man convicted of killing a Columbus Division of Police SWAT officer will spend his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

SWAT Officer Steven Smith was killed in April 2016 during a standoff in Clintonville. Lincoln Rutledge was charged with his death, as well as other counts for attempted murder and arson. While the jury returned not guilty verdicts on two charges of attempted murder, he was convicted on two counts of aggravated murder, one count of aggravated arson, two counts of attempted murder and four counts of felonious assault.

Sydney Smith, married to Steven’s son Jesse spoke for the family before the sentencing talking about all the things Smith has missed in the 15 months since his murder.

“The knowledge that he will spend his life in prison and not be able to cause the pain our family has experienced to any others would be the smallest consolation we will receive moving forward in our lives without the man who will be greatly missed as a husband, father, grandfather and brother in blue,” Sydney Smith told the court.

On Tuesday morning, Judge Mark Serrott sentenced Rutledge to life in prison without parole for the death of Officer Smith. Serrott upheld a jury’s recommendation that Rutledge be sentenced to life without parole. That jury could not come to an agreement on whether Rutledge should be sentenced to the death penalty.

Serrott also sentenced Rutledge to an additional 66 years in prison on the other charges. His prison sentences will run consecutively.

Smith’s family sat in the courtroom as the sentencing took place. Smith’s daughter-in-law read a statement in court, talking about what her father-in-law had missed over the past 15 months and what he would miss in the future. That included Smith’s own wedding anniversaries, births of family members and Smith’s son Jesse graduating from the Columbus Division of Police Academy.

Afterward, the judge asked Rutledge if he wanted to say anything, but Rutledge said he did not. The judge then spoke for several minutes prior to sentencing, saying he considers whether a defendant shows remorse when he’s sentencing someone to prison.

“And you’ve shown nothing in this case, nothing,” Serrott said. “You’ve stared straight ahead. If you’re not affected by that statement, you’re not a human being.”

Rutledge can appeal his case within 30 days. If he chooses to do so, he will be represented by different attorneys than the ones who represented him at trial. The judge appointed the state’s public defenders’ office to represent Rutledge if he moves forward with an appeal.

After the sentence was complete Steven’s wife Lisa said, “we are just happy this is all behind us and it has been a long 15 months, and we just want to start healing as a family, that is all we want to do.”

Smith’s extended family was there for support at the sentencing and said the support was what has gotten them through this horrific ordeal.

Afterwards Sydney Smith summarized her victim witness statement to the court.

“I just did my best to summarize how we have all been feeling the last 15 months. It was incredibly hard to keep it together particularly when speaking about my own daughter who was born seven-weeks-ago, and won’t know her grandpa,” Sydney Smith said. “There have been many things, nephews have gotten married, his wife Lisa has spent the last two wedding anniversaries and Mother’s Days with family or at an officer’s memorial where Officer Smith’s name was etched in stone.”

Steven Smith’s son Jesse was just sworn in as a Columbus Police Officer and assigned his father’s badge number.His family said they were not surprised because he took the test to qualify the November before his father was murdered.

“This was not new to us, we are very proud although nervous to see him do so,” said Jesse’s wife Sydney.

“It was an overwhelming sense of honor to have this number, not that it is anything I ever wanted. I would rather be his colleague than be his predecessor,” Officer Jesse Smith said.