CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. — In a tearful message, the father of 18-year-old Anna Jones expressed that his family was relieved to learn that the man accused of killing her -- a now-former college professor -- pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to life in prison, in the case on Monday afternoon in Carroll County Superior Court.
Cameras weren't allowed in the courtroom as 49-year-old Richard Sigman learned his sentence, but outside the courthouse after the hearing, Anna Jones' father, Carl Jones, shared the statement that he had just read to the judge.
"Words cannot explain how much pain we feel," he said. "Our family is glad that the man who murdered Anna has accepted responsibility for taking her life. "
The now-former University of West Georgia professor, Richard Sigman, pleaded guilty to malice murder along with three counts each of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, according to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney John "Herb" Cranford.
The 18-year-old victim had just graduated from high school and, when she was killed in July, 2022, she was getting ready to attend the same university where Sigman taught.
According to Carrollton Police, Anna and Sigman had never met.
But they both happened to be in downtown Carrollton that night.
Prosecutors said that Sigman was drinking heavily and got into an argument at Leopoldo's Pizza in Adamson Square, and that security asked Sigman to leave. He made his way to a nearby parking deck. The DA's office said Sigman was "severely intoxicated" when he stumbled to the lower level of the parking deck.
According to the DA, Sigman walked up to a parked vehicle at random and started firing shots. Inside were Anna and two of her friends.
"Sigman approached the passenger side of the vehicle and banged on the window while brandishing his handgun," the DA said Monday. "The victims were naturally terrified and began to back out of the parking space to escape from Sigman. As they reversed out of the parking space, Sigman fired three rounds, striking the front seat passenger (Anna) in the head and killing her."
Anna died at the hospital, police said.
Officials said law enforcement located Sigman at the scene on the ground next to his gun. He claimed someone shot at him, and that he fired his weapon in self defense. However, officials said security video showed what really happened: Sigman was never in any danger.
"His actions were legally unjustified, senseless, and incomprehensible," DA Cranford said.
A judge sentenced Sigman to life in prison, plus 55 years, with the possibility of parole.
In exchange for Sigman pleading guilty, the judge agreed not to sentence Sigman to life without the possibility of parole.
As Anna's father read the family's statement outside the courthouse, her mother, Jessica Maxwell, stood next him. They fought back tears as Carl spoke about their daughter.
"He, Richard Sigman, took her hopes of becoming a nurse and helping people and serving this community," he said. "He took her hope of becoming a wife and a mother."
He also stated that his daughter had dreams of having her own children one day. She wanted to have a boy and a girl and even kept a list of children's names on her phone. But those desires were snatched from her and now her family will never have the opportunity to witness Anna go through various milestones.
"He took our hopes for what we knew Anna would become and what she would accomplish -- the life she would have lived. The lives she would have touched, the life she would have given, and the lives she would have saved as a nurse," he said.
The family's attorney, Jim Myers, said that in court, Sigman tried to explain away his conduct--"blame shifting," Myers said. Myers told 11Alive the judge cut Sigman off and didn’t want to hear the deflections.
"The judge heard a little bit of Sigman's explanation and put a stop to it. He let him talk but the judge didn't want to hear that, and encouraged Sigman to accept responsibility to give the family closure. This wasn't the day for blame shifting," Myers said.
Myers is representing Anna's family in a lawsuit against Sigman and the bar. The suit alleges “Sigman was a belligerent drunk who liked to pick fights with others” and claims bar staff failed to take reasonable measures to address him despite knowing he was “armed, dangerous, agitated and intoxicated.”
Carl Jones said, simply, that their lives will never be the same without Anna.
"We are glad this case is over, but this is not the end of the suffering for our family. All we have now are memories," Jones said. "Holidays are not holidays without her. Anna was always the life of the party and now she's gone forever. We are struggling, and we are lost without her. This punishment and sentence will never bring back Anna."
Under Georgia law, Sigman has to serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole consideration.
"That just the possibility where a parole board will look at this," Myer said. "The likelihood of him actually being paroled at that time is extremely, extremely slim.
The district attorney said this case was particularly devastating because it occurred "randomly and inexplicably."
"These college students had done nothing even to draw the attention of this defendant and yet his violent actions took a life and forever changed two other lives," Cranford said. "The District Attorney’s Office hopes this resolution provides these victims and their families a measure of justice."