Soldier sentenced to life in prison for murdering his girlfriend

A Fort Carson soldier who murdered his girlfriend at a Colorado Springs hotel will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Sgt. Montrell Mayo was sentenced Friday morning to life in prison without the possibility of parole, a dishonorable discharge and the total loss of all benefits.

A military jury found Mayo guilty of the murder Wednesday night.

Mayo’s girlfriend, 28-year-old Corporal Kimberly Walker, was found dead on a bed that was sprinkled with rose petals at a hotel in Colorado Springs.

Mayo was stationed at Fort Carson and Walker was visiting from Cincinnati.

Prosecutors said Mayo hit Walker three times with a drinking glass and then suffocated her when he realized she was still alive.

Mayo’s attorney acknowledged Mayo had struck Walker but said he didn’t intend to kill her.

The attorney also argued prosecutors didn’t prove that Mayo intentionally suffocated Walker.