Lancaster man killed wife with a hammer. Here’s how long he will spend in prison
A Lancaster man who beat his wife to death with a hammer in 2017 will spend the rest of his life in prison.
James Matthew Alman pleaded guilty to murder Tuesday in court in Lancaster.
Alman, 51, beat Mildred Arnold, 58, to death with a framing hammer in October 2017, prosecutors Melissa McGinnis and Luck Campbell said in court.
Alman apologized in court, saying he was responsible for the savage assault.
“I’m guilty of all of it,” Alman said.
Alman said no apology is enough to justify his brutal attack on his wife.
“Let it be known that I, James Alman, am greatly remorsed for my actions that resulted in the death of my wife, Mildred,” Alman said in court. “There is no measure of apology that I can offer that can console the family...I am truly sorry.”
Alman then said he found God in jail after his arrest. Alman quoted scripture in court.
Circuit Court Judge Brian Gibbons said in court he appreciates Alman’s faith, but the crime was savage.
“Your actions literally make me sick,” Gibbons told Alman.
Gibbons sentenced Alman to life in prison. Family members of the victim cheered.
Murder in South Carolina carries 30 years in prison to life without parole if convicted.
The attack was so brutal that police found blood in the kitchen, bedroom and living room, testimony showed.
The injuries shown in court on video and through autopsy photos were so severe that people in the audience gasped.
Alman was arrested after police found blood and the hammer while investigating, prosecutors said in court. Arnold’s daughters found their mother’s body in the mother’s home, after she had been missing, officials said.
“He (Alman) is a murderer,” April Moseley, one of the daughters, said in court. “He is a sorry excuse for a human being.”
Alman has previous convictions for assault on a female, larceny, breaking and entering, and other crimes, testimony showed. Alman was out on bond for several property crime arrests at the time he beat his wife to death, prosecutors said.
Alman’s lawyer, Brandon Steen, said in court Alman committed the killing while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
This story was originally published November 12, 2019 at 4:57 PM.
