Domonic Brothers, the Gary co-defendant found guilty of brutally murdering 35-year-old Hobart resident Derek Hartz, was sentenced Friday morning by Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer to 82 ½ years in prison for the June 13, 2023, killing.

“The killing of Mr. Hartz, it was brutal and it was cruel. It was merciless and it was senseless,” Clymer said during the sentencing. Brothers was found guilty of luring Hartz to a public access fishing site in Valparaiso on an LGBTQ dating app and then brutally murdering him by 28 blunt force blows and stab wounds, any number of which would have been fatal on their own, according to the testimony of forensic pathologist John Feczko who conducted the autopsy.

A jury, after four hours of deliberation, found Brothers guilty on three counts: murder, felony murder, and felony robbery. Brothers’ co-defendant Jada Monroe goes to trial next month before Porter Superior Court Judge Michael Fish.

Considerable time was spent before the sentencing dealing with the question of whether the legal designation of double jeopardy would apply to the three counts. Over the objection of defense attorney Mark Chargualaf, Clymer vacated the count 2 felony murder conviction.

He also chose to sentence Brothers consecutively rather than concurrently on the two remaining counts, meaning his sentence of 65 years on the murder charge, the maximum allowed, and 17 ½ years on the felony robbery charge, would be added together.

Before the sentencing, Shelly Hartz, the victim’s mother, took the stand to give a victim impact statement. She told all present she had forwarded her statement to them.

“I’m not going to reread it because I don’t think I can. This has been horrible,” she said in tears.Clymer told her he had read her statement as well as one from Brothers who declined to address the court. Clymer said that despite Brothers’ continued maintenance of innocence he never expressed regret over the victim’s death.

“Not even a scintilla, there’s nothing of remorse,” he said.

He named off a handful of purposes that sentencing serves, focusing on two: protecting society and punishment. “Domonic Brothers should be incarcerated to protect other Derek Hartzes,” Clymer said.

The judge said he chose the maximum sentence for murder based on the brutality of the crime. He said given the defendant’s age, “I know that this equates to a de facto life sentence. It should.”

When asked if he intended to appeal, Brothers replied, “Yes.” Clymer said he would assign him a public defender.

“I’m happy with the outcome,” Shelly Hartz said immediately after the sentencing. “I want to praise the Porter County Sheriff’s Office and the work that they’ve done.”

Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.