By Shayna Jacobs
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN SUPREME COURT — The convicted murderer of high-powered real estate broker Linda Stein was sentenced to 27 1/3 years to life in prison Monday as a judge called evidence against 28-year-old Natavia Lowery "simply overwhelming."
Lowery did not apologize to Stein's tearful family, and instead maintained what is considered a far-fetched claim of innocence, given the strength of the case against the former personal assistant.
She looked away and even smirked as Stein's tearful daughters, Samantha and Mandy, made emotional statements about the torment their family has suffered as a result of the murder.
The judge called Lowery's indifference during the statements a display of the "inhumanity" that enabled her to bludgeon her ex-boss to death with a blunt object, bashing her skull more than 20 times.
He said Lowery looked "unconcerned as [the daughters] were reading their heartbreaking statements."
Lowery offered no apology to the sisters, and instead complained that her trial was unfair.
Mandy Stein, who announced she is pregnant with a child who will now never meet his or her grandmother, said the "heinous memory" of finding Linda Stein's stiff, cold body haunts her daily.
"I get physically and emotionally sick on a regular basis, still unable to process this horrific event," Mandy Stein said.
The vivid memory "constantly seeps into my thoughts and dreams," the grieving daughter added.
Stein's oldest daughter, Samantha Wells, described her mother as a heroic breast cancer survivor who remained vibrant and caring, despite enduring a 12 year battle against the disease.
She described her mother "a real New Yorker," who could be outspoken and "larger than life."
"I wish you could have known my mother personally — not the sensationalized 'Realtor to the Stars' Linda Stein," Wells said, addressing the judge and the press.
Both sisters said Lowery's immediate family had been disrespectful to them throughout the month-long trial. Lowery's stepfather Daniel Walsh was arrested and charged with criminal contempt at a recent appearance for having an outburst in the courtroom.
Surveillance video shows Lowery was the only person to enter Stein's apartment in a high-security Fifth Avenue apartment building on October 30, 2007, the day of the murder.
The convicted killer admitted to beating Stein after an altercation at her Fifth Avenue penthouse apartment in a videotaped confession made days after the incident, but later claimed the confession was coerced.
She was also found guilty of stealing more than $30,000 from Stein in the three months she was employed — a sum she was ordered to pay back in restitution as part of her sentence.
Lowery's attorney, Paul Brenner, denounced her guilty verdict and vowed to appeal the conviction immediately.
"Sometimes, somebody's got to shed a tear for defendant Lowery — a woman who said from the beginning, 'I didn't do this,' " Brenner said.
Stein's daughters shook their heads and continued shed tears for their murdered mother.
