Man gets life plus 56 to 112 years in home invasion slaying

A man has been sentenced to life without parole plus 56 to 112 years in a home invasion that killed a Philadelphia man and wounded his wife three years ago.

Thirty-eight-year-old Ali Marsh was convicted last fall in the March 2012 murder of 35-year-old John Paul Jr. in the Strawberry Mansion section of the city.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Marsh was sentenced in absentia Friday after refusing to come to the Criminal Justice Center for sentencing. The proceedings had already been delayed after he complained of chest pains.

The victim’s widow, who survived multiple gunshot wounds, made a statement to her now-teenage sons, telling them she expected them to “work hard, do well and succeed.” Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Selber called her “the strongest woman I know.”