An Antioch Township man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Thursday for the 2012 beating death of his former girlfriend in her home following an alcohol-fueled argument.
Michael Axtell, 43, was convicted of first-degree murder in a January bench trial before Judge Victoria Rossetti for killing his girlfriend, 40-year-old Tammy Stone.
Handing down the 30 years after hearing victim impact statements and arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys, Rossetti told Axtell that three years of supervised release would follow his decades in prison.
Prosecutors said Axtell struck Stone with three major blows during the evening of Oct. 24, 2012, after the couple returned to her home from a bar, with the last blow proving fatal.
“This blow was aimed to end the argument but was dealt with such force that it took a life,” Rossetti said in handing down the sentence.
Axtell will be given 944 days of credit toward the prison term for time he has spent in custody since his arrest, the judge said.
Assistant Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Kalata had asked for a sentence of at least 40 years, noting that Axtell had a lengthy arrest record for alcohol- and violence-related crimes, including DUIs in four states, aggravated battery to a peace officer, a previous conviction for domestic abuse against Stone and attempted home invasion.
Defense attorney Katherine Hatch sought the minimum sentence of 20 years, noting that Axtell had proved employable by holding steady jobs, and that he had sought treatment for alcohol dependence while in jail. She also argued that Axtell had no intention of killing Stone that night and noted the defense questioned findings that his blow was responsible for Stone’s death.
According to Kalata and Assistant State’s Attorney Jeff Pavletic, Axtell struck Stone three separate times with his fist that evening, once when Stone’s 14-year-old son was in the home. The child said he heard a thud and found his mother unconscious before he dragged her away from Axtell.
Rossetti noted that after that had occurred, testimony showed that Stone woke up, went into her son’s room and asked him to help her find her phone, saying that Axtell “is going to kill me.”
After Stone’s daughters and friends arrived at the house and called 911, Kalata said Axtell struck Stone one final time in her bedroom while her children and friends were outside in the garage.
Axtell told the judge Thursday that he was sorry for all of the family members impacted by Stone’s death, and that he “loved and missed” her. But he also said he didn’t kill her.
“I still maintain my innocence,” Axtell said. “I didn’t hit Tammy and did not cause her death.”
A victim impact statement from Meghan Stone, the couple’s daughter, said her mother was the strongest person she knew, who raised four children alone because Axtell was not around for most of her childhood until returning to reunite with Stone years later.
“I still to this day find myself reaching for my phone to call my mom,” she said. “She always stood by our side and stuck up for us.”
Meghan Stone said she had mixed feelings about what sentence her father should receive, but concluded that “nothing will ever make any of this OK.”
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