The man who hit and killed a New York state trooper on Interstate 81 in Broome County back in 2014 has been sentenced to life without parole.  A jury found Almond Upton guilty of first-degree murder in August. Upton was traveling from Florida to Connecticut to see family, when he hit and killed Trooper Christopher Skinner.

The courtroom was packed Thursday with people from the community and Trooper Christopher Skinner's friends and family.  It was an emotional morning, and several statements were made to the judge prior to the sentencing

Trooper Skinner's mother told the judge this tragedy has had a huge impact on her entire family. She said in an instant, everything was taken away from her. She also showed the judge a slideshow filled with photos that started from Skinner’s childhood, through graduation, family get-togethers, his whole life really. 

Almond Upton then spoke for the first time. He became emotional and broke down in tears. He said to the judge, "I'm not the person the state of New York has made me out to be." He also said his mental state was impaired beyond comprehension and to this day he doesn't know what happened. He promised he would never stop taking his medication and also expressed his deepest sorrow and sympathy to the family. 

Judge Cawley then went on to say that he believes this was nothing more than an assassination and that's why he gave Upton that life in prison sentence, TWC News reports.