Like her husband, Yolanda Thompson will spend the rest of the her life in prison for the murder of Marisha Jeter

Citing the premeditation and brutality involved in the murder of the 16-year-old Union County High School student, Circuit Judge Lee Alford of York sentenced Thompson to life in prison without the possibility of parole Friday morning.

Her husband, Pernell Clayton Thompson Jr., pleaded guilty in September to the Jan. 3, 2008, slaying of Jeter and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Thompson had pleaded guilty in March as part of a plea agreement with the state to testify against her husband.

At the time, Alford sentenced her to five years in prison on the charge of criminal conspiracy but delayed sentencing her on the other charges until after her husband’s trial.

Thompson’s cooperation with the state and pleas for mercy from her, members of her family and friends did not bring her any leniency from Alford.

“This was a premeditated murder with malice aforethought,” Alford said as he prepared to hand down Thompson’s sentence. “It was premeditated and carried out by two people. This was a brutal killing and kidnapping. I see no reason to treat you different from Mr. Thompson.”

Alford also sentenced Thompson to 30 years in prison for kidnapping, 30 years for armed robbery and five years for possession of a knife during the commission of a violent crime. This was in addition to the five years Alford sentenced Thompson to in March for criminal conspiracy. The sentences will run concurrently.

Friday’s hearing was an emotional one for both Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett, backed by members of Jeter’s family, and Public Defender Harry Dest together with Thompson’s family and friends — each side seeking to sway Alford to either severity or leniency.

Dest pointed to the two sides of Thompson, the intelligent, hard-working, friendly, outgoing young woman with no prior criminal record who was well thought of by all who knew her and still had the potential to play a positive role in society and the emotionally stunted victim of childhood sexual abuse by a relative that left her unable to form a health relationship with a man.

Dest also pointed to Thompson’s cooperation with authorities in the investigation of Jeter’s murder and how that cooperation, which he said included refusing and reporting her husband’s efforts to manipulate her into helping him escape justice, played a decisive role in his pleading guilty to Jeter’s murder.

Also speaking on behalf of Thompson were her parents, Ricky and Teresa Murphy, family member Lavonne Good, former teacher Renee Rotondo and friends Vicki Trammell and Pat Johnson. All expressed sympathy for Jeter’s family, but also talked about how Jeter’s murder was completely at odds with the friend and family member they all knew and loved.

All asked Alford to show Thompson mercy.

Thompson also spoke on her own behalf — her statement often lost in her sobs.

She said she is constantly reminded of the fact that while she can still have contact with her family, the Jeter’s can no longer have contact with their daughter. She said she had done an awful thing but was not an awful person. She asked for forgiveness from the people she’d hurt and asked Alford to give her the chance to one day, after many years of punishment, have the chance to help others.

Brackett and the Jeters would have none of this, with the solicitor pointing out Thompson and her husband had lured Marisha Jeter away from her home under false pretenses. Then, when they had her alone, attacked her, repeatedly stabbing her before putting her lifeless body in the trunk of their car, driving to Broad River, stripping her and putting her in the river before driving on into Chester County where they set fire to the car.

He said when originally contacted by authorities she denied any involvement in Jeter’s death and began cooperating with authorities only after she learned her husband had cracked under questioning and admitted what they’d done.

Also speaking out against Thompson was Marisha’s brother T.J., her uncle Lewis and her father, Manning.

The younger Jeter rejected arguments put forth by the defense about Thompson’s academic performance, pointing out it is dwarfed by her crime. He also spoke of how the death of his sister had physically and mentally devastated his mother whose health had continued to deteriorate over the past two years to the point where she could not attend the hearing.

Lewis Jeter pointed out that arguments about the Thompson who murdered his niece was a completely different person from the one known by her family and friends suggested to him psychosis and asked when she might again flip into that other person. Jeter said her actions and those of her husband were cold and calculating, that they’d done what they wanted to and then lied about it.

The most intense moment came from Jeter’s father Manning who called Thompson a “demon” who had “stole my baby’s life.”

Jeter reminded Alford and the court the Thompsons had beaten, stomped his daughter, stabbed her 33 times and cut her throat. He said Thompson not only deserved the same sentence as her husband but should be kept in the same cage with him for the rest of their lives.

Following her sentencing, Thompson was returned to the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. She has been incarcerated at the Leath Correctional Institution in Greenwood.