Families talk about 'worst nightmare' - man sentenced after murders, was on psych drugs.

From the Iowa City Press Citizen. A long and sand and tragic story, here are some of the essential points.

In a tearful and emotional sentencing Wednesday morning, Kyle Marin was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for killing 18-year-old cousins Molly Edmondson and Katrina Hill in Edmondson's Cedar Rapids apartment on April 23, 2006.

Marin, 21, formerly of North Liberty, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder Nov. 1. The mandatory penalty for first-degree murder in Iowa is life imprisonment without parole. Judge Robert Sosalla, who presided over the two-week long trial, ordered that the life terms be served consecutively rather than concurrently "because of the brutality of the offenses."

The sentencing also saw the only time Marin spoke out loud in the courtroom as he asked for forgiveness for his crimes.

"I will not forgive myself," Marin said. "I will do my time for the pain and suffering I have caused. I want Molly and Katrina, my friends, to know how sorry I am. ... I would like to ask for forgiveness, but I have no right."

Sometime in the early hours of April 23, 2006, Marin entered Edmondson's apartment, woke her and Hill and directed them to the bathroom, according to trial testimony. He had them strip before he brutally attacked them with knives, a hammer, a screwdriver and a pizza cutter.

Before and after the murders, Marin went to the top of a parking structure and contemplated suicide. His defense attorneys, Thomas Diehl and Dave Cmelik, argued that Marin's use of Zoloft and other prescription drugs drove him to experience suicidal and homicidal thoughts.

Marin's friendship with Edmondson and Hill was discussed at length throughout the trial. In a videotaped interview with police, Marin said the women were his best friends, and he did not know why he killed them. Marin attended two house parties with Edmondson and was staying at her apartment the night he killed the women.

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In addition to the consecutive life sentences, Marin was ordered to pay $150,000 to the estates of both Edmondson and Hill, as well as court costs and attorney fees. He may seek an appeal within 30 days of his sentencing.

A number of victim impact statements are included in the original report. While the man who committed the crime deserves to go to jail, the psychiatrist who prescribed these dangerous drugs should also be held accountable.