The killer of an 81-year-old woman who "showed up for life" will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of release.
John Vincent Nitzke, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 19, broke into Dorothy "Betty" Carras' home and strangled her to death in May 2008.
He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder last month in order to avoid a potential death sentence and was formally sentenced to natural life Monday by Pima County Superior Court Judge Clark Munger.
Carras' sons, Steve and Peter, and her daughter, Dorrie Keough, described their mother as a nature-loving world traveler who taught them to have a purpose in life and to help others. She was a poet who held season tickets to the symphony, swam laps regularly and was looking forward to her first grandchild's upcoming wedding.
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Carras' mother lived to 100 and her grandmother lived to 104 so she planned to have a much longer life, Peter Carras said.
A no-parole life sentence is the only appropriate sentence, Peter Carras told Munger.
"Given the opportunity, (Nitzke) is likely to do it again. He can't be trusted to be free in our society," Peter Carras said.
Nitzke attempted to speak directly to the Carras' family, but Munger told him to direct his comments to him alone.
"I'd like to say I'm sorry for putting people through what I have," Nitzke said. "God, as my higher power, will look at this with consideration of my history and deal with it the way He wants to. That's all I've got to say."
Carras' body was found May 23, 2008, after a neighbor went to her home to meet for a walk. When Carras failed to answer the door, the neighbor called a friend who had a key.
That friend entered the home and found Carras dead.
Authorities issued a warrant for Nitzke when he was tied to the case through DNA evidence. He was arrested July 1, 2008, in Santa Monica, Calif., when officers responding to a trespassing call encountered him.
Carras, who lived in Tucson for almost 20 years, served as a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity and a local food pantry, as a nurse and caregiver to the sick and elderly, and as a docent at Tohono Chul Park.
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com
