Serial Killer Sentenced

"Willie James Hodges you are adjudicated guilty and sentenced to death by lethal injection."
There was no reaction from Willie Hodges as Judge Terry Terrell sentenced him to die for the 2001 murder of Patricia Belanger.
"She was really looking forward to spending time with us on the day she was murdered. It was taken from her and we miss her very much." Belanger's daughter, Deborah Taylor and her son, Brooks Clements were in the courtroom when Hodges was sentenced. They've been there through it all, "It's been over seven years since she was murdered, over five years since he was arrested," says Clements. He calls today's sentencing a milestone. "We can try to move on don't know if we can ever say we've got closure or we'll ever get past it but I guess I'm satisfied with the outcome today."
This case may be over but this isn't the only murder charges Hodges faces. "This is an individual that is now facing murder charges in Cincinnati and Alabama." says Assistant State Attorney John Molchan. "Those cases were part of our investigation and part of the prosecution in this particular case."
The death sentence carries with it an automatic appeal. An appeal defense attorney Martin Lester says has a good chance of succeeding. "Every IQ test he has ever taken in his life was below 70. There was expert testimony that his IQ fell into the category of mildly retarded."
It will be up to the Florida Supreme Court to make that decision. For Belanger's family, the healing can begin. "Just as a family we want to kind of move forward and think about good memories rather than constantly looking forward to what's the next criminal proceeding that we have to go through," says Clements.
Hodges is wanted in the murder of an elderly woman in Gainesville, Alabama just a few weeks before Belanger was killed and he is also wanted in the 2003 murder of an Ohio woman.