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HOULTON, Maine — The Monticello man convicted in the 2023 murder of his live-in girlfriend was sentenced to 55 years in prison, following a hearing in Aroostook County Superior Court on Monday.
Jayme Schnackenberg, 41, killed Kimberly Hardy execution-style, with two bullets to the back of her head, said Assistant Attorney General Kate Bozeman, before the sentencing.
“Mr. Schnackenberg has ice water running through his veins,” said Superior Court Justice Stephen Nelson.
A jury convicted Schnackenberg of the murder in January, following a five-day trial. Jury members deliberated for less than an hour before making their decision.
During the hearing on Monday, Nelson said that the reasons for the murder boiled down to power and control.
“She was leaving him,” Nelson said. “Kimberly did not have to die “
During her request for sentencing, Bozeman said this was the ultimate form of domestic violence.
“He took great pains to conceal her body in the woods,” Bozeman said. “He maintained a lie.”
State prosecutors had requested a sentence of 60 years, while the defense team asked for 38 years.
According to Bozeman there were a number of aggravating circumstances to warrant that longer sentence, including an extreme lack of acceptance by Schnackenberg and blaming others for the crime.
“I’m sorry for everything I’ve done,” Schnackenberg said in the hearing.
Several family members and friends of Hardy shared details about the woman they loved. They noted her joy for life.
“Our family was forever changed when he brutally murdered her in her own home, said Kerry Anderson, Hardy’s sister-in-law. “We desperately searched for her for over a week, and we were shattered to hear. Words cannot express our grief.
