<p>Jessica Rae Killian was murdered by Steven Montie Crum in 2010 near Ione.</p>

Devin Killian wept quietly in the small Heppner courtroom Wednesday as Steven Montie Crum pleaded guilty to murdering her pregnant sister, Jessica Rae Killian.

Circuit Court Judge Dan Hill of the 6th Judicial District sentenced Crum to 30 years in prison before he is eligible for parole. The judge called Crum a sociopath who has shown no remorse for slaying Killian, his mistress, around Oct. 2, 2010, on his family farm near Ione. 

Ill use the word slay because that is what you did, Hill told Crum. It is my sincere hope the parole board wont be taken in by your demeanor.

The judge said Crum had shot Killian in the back as she ran, and then with cold detachment shot her in the head like a wounded animal.

Yep, Devin Killian uttered.

Hill said Crums sentence is the first under an Oregon law on murder of a pregnant woman.

Crum, 30, a former reserve deputy with the Morrow County Sheriffs Office and once a guard for the Umatilla County Jail, also pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated theft. The Oregon Department of Justice prosecuted the case so the Morrow County District Attorneys Office could avoid a conflict on interest.

The state alleged Crum and Killian in 2010 planned to steal from her employer, Pheasant Cafe and Lounge, Hermiston, and flee the country together. Court documents show Crum told police he killed Killian, 30, after she threatened to reveal their affair to his wife, family and friends.

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Campbell in court said Crum shot Killian in the back, piercing her aorta, and then walked to her and shot her in the back of the head. Devin Killian, hearing that for the first time, rushed from the courtroom in tears. She returned several minutes later.

Campbell said a state medical examiner reported Killian may have been dead three days before a worker found the body Oct. 4 on the Crum farm.

Tuesday night, Devin Killian, 38, of Portland, drove to Heppner with a pair of close friends in order to address the court the next day when her sisters killer was sentenced.

I hope he never breathes air outside prison walls ever, she said. Her murder has torn my family apart, and I would do anything to get her back.

Afforded an opportunity to speak, Crum stood in a gray button-down shirt, black pants and dress shoes, his hands cuffed in front of him.

I know there is nothing I could do to change what happened, he said.

He apologized to Killians family and to his family, many of whom were in court, and to his friends and community.

Psychologist Robert Stanulis took the stand for the defense. He testified that he evaluated Crum and didnt find he had anti-social tendencies. He also said the older prisoners get, the less likely they are to reoffend. He said Crum was stressed about his marriage, self image and taking on the responsibilities of the family farm when he killed Killian in a panic.

Crum, he said, wouldnt likely commit a similar crime again.

Hill discounted Stanulis statement. He said Crums cold act goes to the very character of someone likely to reoffend.

The theft charge arises from Crums role in stealing almost $11,000 from the Pheasant cafe, where Killian tended bar. The judge ordered Crum to pay about $2,000 in restitution to the Pheasant, the difference in the money police didnt recover, and more than $12,000 for Jessica Killians funeral, which the states crime victims fund helped cover.

During a brief recess, Susan Crum, Steven Crums stepmother, approached Devin Killian outside the courtroom and said she was sorry for her loss. The two women hugged. Killian thanked her.

That means a lot, she said.

Crum lost a significant ruling in November after his attorney, Kara Davis, moved to exclude statements he gave to police about killing Killian. Hill ruled the statements were admissible as evidence at trial. On the eve of trial Dec. 5, Crum instead withdrew his not guilty plea and Wednesday in court admitted murdering Killian.

After the sentencing, Crum and his wife, Rose Crum, said their goodbyes in a room adjacent to the court. Once outside the Morrow County Courthouse, she looked on as he hugged and said goodbye to others before Morrow County sheriffs deputies took him away in a police SUV.

There goes my best friend, Rose whispered.

She said she was doing OK, and to the Killian family, she said: I personally send my condolences to them on the deepest level. Sunglasses concealed only some of her tears.

Devin Killian said she was satisfied with the sentence. She said it was fair, but she had hoped Crum would get life without parole. Before leaving Morrow County, she said, she had a final mission to visit the site where her sister died.