Scott Kologi Sentenced To 150 Years In Prison For Murdering Family Members In 2017

A 20-year-old New Jersey man who used a semi-automatic rifle to kill his four family members in 2017, was sentenced Thursday to 150 years in jail.

Calling Scott Kologi "an evil man," Superior Court Judge Marc C. LeMieux imposed the prison term on him, reported App.

According to a statement released by the prosecutor's office, under the terms of New Jersey's No Early Release Act, he must serve at least 85% of the sentence, or 127-and-a-half years, before becoming eligible for parole, reported PEOPLE.

Less than an hour before the new year, on Dec. 31, 2017, Scott, who was 16 at the time, shot and killed his father, mother, sister and a companion of his grandfather’s, who was considered to be his grandmother. Monmouth County prosecutors said that he squeezed the trigger 14 times, reported New York Post. Steven Kologi, 42, Linda Kologi, 44, Brittany Kologi, 18, and Mary Schulz, 70 were struck in the Kologi’s Long Branch house.

Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Sean Brennan said during the hearing that these were "acts of evil, carried out by someone who knew exactly what he was doing." He added that Scott killed them because "he could," and because "he wanted to.”

The quadruple slaying caused “immeasurable harm," said LeMieux.

On the night of the massacre, Scott called his mother up to his room. He had the lights off, and shot her dead in his room. Then he shot and killed his father who came immediately to see what happened. Then Scott “casually” murdered his sister and Schulz. Prosecutors said that he had earplugs in to protect himself from the sound of the high-powered weapon. He even researched whether that weapon would be effective against cops if they responded with bulletproof vests before he carried out the plan to murder his family.

His grandfather and brother, who were also home, were able to escape from the house. Brennan said, “Even though they physically survived, they will still have to deal with the mental scars of what they saw.”

Richard Lomurro, a defense attorney for Scott, argued that his client was mentally ill. He wanted only 30 years for his client in connection with the killings.