In a Wednesday sentencing hearing in Marshall County Superior Court No.1 , Judge Robert O. Bowen sentenced 19-year-old Gauvin Monaghan to the maximum allowable sentence of 65 years for the October 2016 murder of 78-year-old Richard “Paul” Costello.

After the hearing, Marshall County Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman commented on the totality of the circumstances of the offense and the background of the defendant saying Gauvin Monaghan was a serial killer who fortunately got caught after his first murder.

According to information released by the Marshall County Prosecutor’s Office, Monaghan read aloud from a letter, asking the victim’s family for forgiveness. Costello’s friends and family members filled the spectator section of the courtroom and intensely watched the proceedings.

Prosecuting Attorney Nelson Chipman attempted to seek some kind of explanation from Monaghan of why he beat an elderly man to death, inquiring as to whether anger, money or revenge played a factor. Monaghan reportedly could only answer that he did not know why.

No other live testimony was provided by either side. Instead, the state of Indiana submitted numerous photographs depicting the viciousness of the crime and the extent of the victim’s injuries and relied upon the Victim Impact letters provided by family members and some of Paul’s friends. Continue reading →