COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Marcus Floyd on Tuesday was sentenced to natural life in prison with no chance of parole in the 2010 murder of Thomas Wortham IV, a Chicago Police officer and Iraq War veteran.
Wortham's relatives didn't mince words during the 60-minute sentencing hearing.
"People like Marcus Floyd will not be saved by blind, naive compassion," sister Sandra Wortham said as she read a prepared victim impact statement. "They are evil and cowardly, and they should be dealt with accordingly."
"Anyone who thinks I’m going to sit here and talk about ‘second chances’ in this situation is listening to the wrong lady," mother Carolyn Wortham said through tears. "While I'm trying not to be judgmental, my experience has taught me that some bad people will not change, they will just keep trying to make you think they have, and those people should not walk among us."
RELATED: Jury Finds Marcus Floyd Guilty in Officer Thomas Wortham IV Murder Trial
Floyd, 24, was convicted by a jury in October. On Tuesday, Cook County Judge Timothy Joyce sentenced Floyd to natural life in prison with no chance of parole.
"I never got the chance to live my life," Floyd told the courtroom Tuesday when he briefly spoke on his own behalf before the judge announced his sentence.
Floyd wiped tears on his shirt and said he had hoped to become a police officer or join the military. He turned toward Wortham's family, who sat with 15-20 police officers, and told them his relatives lost someone too that May 2010 evening.
Floyd was referring to his cousin, Brian Floyd, who was gunned down by Wortham IV's father, retired Chicago Police Officer Thomas Wortham III.
According to court testimony, Wortham IV was leaving his parents' Chatham home on May 19, 2010, when the Floyd cousins and two others tried to steal his motorcycle. Wortham IV said he was a police officer, pulled his gun and was killed in the ensuing gunfire.
His father, who'd seen part of the altercation from his front porch, ran inside and grabbed his own gun. Wortham III opened fire toward the attackers — killing Brian Floyd and critically injuring Marcus Floyd.
RELATED: 'It Hurts,' Dying Chicago Police Officer, Iraq Vet Told Dad
Marcus Floyd, who was shot 5 or 6 times, was briefly in a coma, suffered two heart attacks and required multiple surgeries. As a result, he claims he has retrograde amnesia and cannot remember what happened that evening.
"It's hard waking up every morning just wanting to remember what happened," Floyd told the courtroom Tuesday. "I have a child out there that's being raised without a father."
Judge Joyce said he believed Floyd had amnesia, but couldn't ignore the facts of the case.
"It's a sad circumstance to send somebody to prison in any event," the judge said. "It's particularly sad when they don't remember why they're going or what they did. ... But that does not authorize this court to deviate from a natural life sentence."
Wortham III shared fond memories of his son, who was born on a Super Bowl Sunday in 1980. He was Wortham IV's first little league coach and taught the boy how to golf and fish.
"Tommy was not just my son," Wortham III said. "He was my fishing and golf partner and my friend in life."
Unlike his wife and daughter, Wortham III seemed to express hope for Floyd's future, saying Floyd could either spend the rest of his life mad at the world or accept responsibility and help steer young men away from a life of crime.
Carolyn Wortham said she remembered a time when "there was a sense of legacy" in South Side neighborhoods and lamented the fact he was killed in the same neighborhood where she raised him.
"This final sentencing will not provide us with true justice," Sandra Wortham said in court. "Marcus Floyd will spend the rest of his days breathing, eating, watching television and visiting with his family. While he does those things, my parents and I will continue to visit with Thomas at his grave."
The jury deliberated for more than three hours in October before finding Floyd guilty of the first-degree murder of Wortham IV.
Floyd also was found guilty of attempting to murder Wortham III and murdering his own cousin, Brian Floyd, who'd been gunned down by the Worthams in the May 2010 shootout. In Illinois, anyone involved in a felony that results in someone's death can be charged with murder — regardless of who pulled the trigger.
Jurors said they did not believe Marcus Floyd was the gunman who killed Wortham IV, and Floyd was found not guilty of aggravated discharge of a firearm.
Floyd has previously argued that he has retrograde amnesia, but a jury on Aug. 20 found Floyd fit to stand trial.
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