Judge Says Stephen Allwine Was "incredibly cold and incredibly calculating" and "My perception is that you are an actor," during Sentencing Hearing.

Stephen Allwine was sentenced to life in prison today and received a stinging rebuke from the presiding  Judge.

But District Judge B. William Ekstrum told Allwine, 44, that he was "incredibly cold and incredibly calculating" before pronouncing the automatic lifelong sentence that comes with a premeditated first-degree murder conviction.

"My perception is that you are an actor," Ekstrum told Allwine.

The Star Tribune is reporting that their son, who Stephen deliberately let find his dead mother, has made a statement:

Amy's sister, Julie Brown, read a victim statement in court that included a comment from the Allwines' son, who was 9 when she was killed.

"My mom was a good mom. I will always love her and remember her," the boy said.

Statements also were read by Amy Allwine's brother and on behalf of her parents.

See:   Allwine, sentenced to life, insists he didn't kill his wife

Stephen Allwine Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murdering Wife

Prosecutors successfully argued that Stephen’s motive was to collect his wife’s $700,000 life insurance policy, of which he was the sole benefactor.

Allwine will be soon transferred to the St. Cloud Prison to serve his term. 

Amy's family related to the court how they live in fear of Stephen after Amy was killed as her parents reveal how they felt betrayed by him, especially after they let him live with them for two months after Amy's death.

See: Allwine receives life sentence for killing wife, staging suicide 

Amy Allwine's family described the terrifying final months of her life in their statements.  

The summer before her death, Amy Allwine received anonymous emails graphically threatening her family's lives and urging her to kill herself.

Prosecutors said the FBI contacted the family about the emails at the time.

A forensic search of Stephen Allwine's computer revealed searches for the names and addresses of his wife's relatives.

Julie Brown, Amy Allwine's sister, said the FBI warned the threats should be taken seriously.

Tasks like grocery shopping, Brown said, spurred intense anxiety.

Brown said her sister "lived in fear every waking moment of the last months of her life." 

In a written statement, Amy Allwine's parents Chuck and Joanne Zutz said the betrayal they felt as authorities investigated Stephen Allwine amplified their grief.

Stephen Allwine lived in the Zutz's home for two months after his wife's death, the statement said.

Stephen Allwine, United Church of God Elder, Found Guilty Of Murder

The jury just reached a verdict in the Stephen Allwine murder trial.  He was found guilty of 1st-degree premeditated murder in the poisoning and shooting of his wife Amy.

Stephen Allwine found guilty of killing his wife, staging death as suicide

The Washington County jury deliberated for about eight hours after getting the case earlier in the day following six days of testimony. 

Prosecutor Fred Fink, in his closing argument, said evidence showed that Amy Allwine had been drugged with a life-threatening dose of scopolamine before she was shot with a 9-millimeter handgun in a hallway.

Stephen Allwine moved her body to the bedroom where he tried to disguise her murder as a suicide, Fink said.

“Physical and scientific evidence don’t lie,” Fink told the jury.

Fink said evidence showed the victim’s body was “posed,” with no blood spatters on the bedspread or nightstand next to her body and the gun resting on her left elbow even though she was righthanded.  STAR Tribune

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Husband accused of trying to stage wife's death as suicide found guilty of first-degree murder

Stephen Allwine faces a mandatory life sentence after a jury in Washington County deliberated for eight hours in the 2016 slaying of 43-year-old Amy Allwine.

Investigators said that Stephen Allwine was having affairs, according to the Star Tribune, and that he searched the dark web in an attempt to find a hit man to kill his wife.

Stephen Allwine was an elder at the United Church of God, which frowned on divorce.

"This defendant wanted Amy Allwine out of his life and wanted to be free to play the field," prosecutor Fred Fink said, according to the newspaper. "He planned, prepared for and was absolutely determined to kill her." NYDailyNews

Stephen Allwine was convicted Wednesday night of first-degree premeditated murder in the killing of Amy Allwine on Nov. 13, 2016. CBSLocal Minnessota

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(KMSP) - After six days of testimony, and six hours of deliberations, a Washington County jury has found Stephen Allwine guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of his wife. He’s expected to spend the rest of his life in prison. 

In closing arguments, prosecutors told the jury Stephen killed Amy because he was an elder in his church, and it would be embarrassing to seek a divorce. Evidence revealed Stephen had carried on at least two affairs with women he met on the cheaters site Ashley Madison. 

Over six days of testimony, the court room was filled with supporters from the Allwine church, where Stephen was a deacon and church leader.  FOX9

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“We believe the jury did the right thing,” Fink said. “They had a lot of pieces of evidence to go through. … I’ve been doing this 43 years and it’s probably the most complex case I’ve ever tried.”

The evidence against Allwine included a trail of digital clues that connected him to a failed murder-for-hire plot hatched on the “dark web,” a hidden portion of the internet associated with crime."

"After a two-month investigation, Stephen Allwine was arrested in March 2017 and charged with Amy Allwine’s murder. Prosecutors alleged that Stephen Allwine was having at least two extramarital affairs. Rather than divorce his wife and jeopardize his position at a local church, he decided to have her killed." Twin Cities Pioneer Express

I have heard similar reports that United Church of God members were filling the courtroom viewing area in support of Allwine.  Many UCG members have claimed that this court trial is an attack by Satan on God's true church (UCG).  We have all heard that crap before in another court trial!  Many of those in attendance were reported to be quite vocal in their support of Allwine.

Thankfully a wise jury made a wise decision.

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