Kirsten Alice O’Hara was sentenced to the maximum of 28 1/2 years in prison Friday for the murder of her neighbor, 95-year-old WWII veteran Robert Harmon, last July in Hoquiam.

“The crime you committed was brutal beyond the ability of words to describe,” Superior Court Judge David Edwards told O’Hara as he handed down the sentence. “The fact is you’ve committed a terrible crime. You should never ever be free. If I could sentence you to life, I would. I would never want you living next door to me. Top of the range.”

Hoquiam Police Chief Jeff Myers was in the gallery and had previously told The Daily World it was “one of the worst murder investigations I have seen in my time as chief of police in Hoquiam.”

When given the opportunity to speak prior to her sentencing, O’Hara said, “I want to apologize. I appreciate the opportunity to change and have a life after this.”

The single mother of one will be near 60 years old at the end of her sentence.

O’Hara’s attorney, David Mistachken, said his client led a good life until she became addicted to drugs. It was then she had stolen checks from Harmon, which led to a confrontation at his home July 9. Investigators discovered O’Hara, fearing jail time for her theft, snuck back into Harmon’s house and used a small knife and a large flashlight she found in Harmon’s kitchen to stab and bludgeon him to death. Harmon put up a valiant fight, but was found dead the next morning.

The crime scene was extensive, requiring several days of processing by the State Patrol Crime Lab. O’Hara later ditched the evidence in the Wishkah River near Bear Gulch just north of Aberdeen and, according to Myers, then went to a casino.

“I have not found one person who had anything negative to say about him (Harmon),” said county Prosecutor Katie Svoboda. “This is a crime that could easily have never been solved. I’m glad we had some good police work that led to closure and an arrest. Anything less than the top of the (sentencing) range would be too little.”