It has been more than two years since Brachon Hyer killed a 24-year-old convenience store clerk, but the case has finally come to a close with his sentencing this week.

Hyer, who was 21 at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty in February 2021 to second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 48 years in the Department of Corrections for his crime, according to reporting by The Daily Sentinel’s Sam Klomhaus.

Prior to the sentencing, family members of the victim, Jessica Strothman, spoke about what Hyer took from them and our community. They described her as warm, loving and kind and spoke about the pain they felt at having her taken from them at such a young age.

“The past two years have been extremely traumatic and stressful,” Jessica’s biological father, Jim Strothman, said.

“Jessica was the most loving, caring, most beautiful daughter you could ask for,” he said.

We can’t imagine what this has been like for her family and are truly sorry they have to go through this.

Some family members spoke against the plea deal that was reached in the case. Strothman’s mother, who was not able to attend the sentencing, was particularly opposed.

“She (Strothman’s mother) feels tortured, and whatever length of time the defendant gets, if he ever gets out of prison, Jessica doesn’t come back from the grave to say hello to us,” Strothman’s stepfather Michael Clegg said.

This is a completely understandable sentiment. She lost her daughter and wants to see the perpetrator of that awful crime never see the light of day again.

Judge Gretchen Larson, who presided over the sentencing, explained why she was accepting a plea agreement in this case.

“I understand her presence will be deeply missed,” Larson said. “There is nothing this court can do to bring her back.”

“There is no number of years or sentence this court can impose that can bring her back or heal your hearts,” Larson said.

Larson said Hyer will be in prison for a significant period of time so he doesn’t hurt anyone else, and the plea deal will bring closure to the court proceedings.

That’s a significant piece to this. By pleading guilty, Hyer cannot appeal, which means the family won’t have to continue to worry about court proceedings going forward. The case also won’t go to trial, which has its own risks. We believe the District Attorney’s office would do an excellent job, but trials can be unpredictable. In this case in particular, proving certain elements to convict Hyer of first-degree murder could have been problematic. A plea deal guarantees Hyer will be in prison for close to half a century.

These are the difficult decisions we entrust our DA’s office and the court to weigh for us. We think, in this case, a plea agreement was appropriate. Hyer is being punished for his crime and he has no chance to appeal.

We know the District Attorney does not take these matters lightly and wants to take dangerous people off the streets and see them face significant consequences for their crimes. We think he has done that throughout his time in that office, including in this case.

Grand Junction Daily Sentinel editorial board