Dustin Gran sentenced to life in prison for murder of Krista Pike

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Earlier this year, a jury found Dustin Gran guilty of murdering Krista Rae Pike in Madera in 2008. On Friday, Gran was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge said Pike was truly an innocent victim and that Gran showed no remorse for the crime.

Gran did not speak on Friday, but the father and siblings of the murder victim were able to tell Gran how his choice ruined their lives. They felt he got what he deserved, since he will never be a free man.

Russel Pike has tried his best to move on. But sometimes living in the past is easier because that's where his memories are of his 18-year-old daughter, Krista Rae Pike.

"I miss her laugh, her smile, her marshmallow cheeks and most of all, her hugs," said Russel Pike.

The victim's brother was only 14 at the time of her murder. He remembers those dark days well.

"I remember waking up to the sound of my mom crying. We didn't do much other than eat, sleep and cry," said Russel Pike Jr.

Krista Pike looked forward to becoming an aunt, and her family says she has been deprived the chance to make memories and an impact in the life of her nieces and nephews. One of them was named in her honor.

"I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and I then named her Krista Rae after her auntie she will never meet. I see so much in my baby as I do my sister," said Alexandria Pike, the victim's sister.

Gran had no visible reaction to anything that happened in court on Friday, including the comments from the judge.

"Part of what makes this so extraordinary and troubling is that she had befriended Mr. Gran, and Mr. Gran betrayed her friendship by brutally murdering her," said Superior Court Judge Marie Silveira.

The other suspect in the murder will go on trial next month in Stanislaus County. Both trials were moved because of the attention the case has received.