It was an emotional hearing at Stamford Superior Court Wednesday, as family and friends of Iris Lopez attended the sentencing of her husband and mother-in-law in connection with her death over six years ago.

Dozens of people packed the courtroom, many wearing shirts with pictures of the victim on them. The mother of four died in November 2018.

The sentences handed down to Hector Lopez and his mother, Mercedes Martinez, weren’t a surprise. Both took plea deals late last year with agreed-upon prison times - 10 years for Hector Lopez and eight years for Martinez.

But the hearing was a chance for Iris Lopez’s loved ones to address the defendants and maybe start to move forward.

Rosie Estrella held up a large picture of her sister unconscious and connected to machines in the hospital as she started to speak.

“This is the last time I saw her. This is what I have engraved in my memory forever,” Estrella tearfully told the court, adding her sister was her best friend. “Even still, she’s the first person I want to call, and in a split second I’m reminded that I can’t.”

Iris Lopez died of a head injury after her husband and his mother failed to get her medical help and watched her condition deteriorate, all in front of the couple's three kids. Their inaction was due to concerns police would blame Hector Lopez for his wife’s bruise-covered body, especially since he had prior domestic violence convictions.

“The years of torment and abuse my sister endured did not come from someone who loved her. It came from pure evil, a soulless, heartless vessel of a person,” Estrella said.

“They denied her help when she was at her most vulnerable—a level of care even a stranger off the street would offer if they saw someone unconscious, unresponsive and foaming at the mouth,” Irene Serrano, Iris Lopez’s other sister, emotionally explained. “He and Mercedes showed zero regard for the trauma they were inflicting on the children who had to watch their mother suffer for hours upon hours while they intentionally chose to do nothing.”

Iris Lopez’s mother described her daughter as “a light in our family, bringing joy, laughter and warmth.” Norma Estrella shook, and her voice broke throughout her heart wrenching testimony. “I still visualize her suffering, fighting for her life when the people who could have saved her stood by and did nothing. That kind of heartlessness is beyond comprehension.”

An attorney representing Iris and Hector Lopezes three children read a statement on their behalf, asking their father be held accountable.

“He stole her future and our future with her. There are so many moments when her absence is unbearable—holidays, birthdays, even the smallest moments when we just need her,” read Georgette Perimenis. “It’s not just grief. It’s the betrayal of knowing that our dad, the person who was supposed to protect us and her, caused all of this. He didn’t just hurt her. He hurt us, too. He took away our sense of safety and family and the one person who always put us first.”

Both defendants were initially charged with first-degree manslaughter, but the state opted to downgrade the charge to cruelty to persons and make a plea offer after learning of potential legal issues proving manslaughter with “an omission to act.”

“There are times when the legal code doesn’t reflect the morality of our society, and that happened in this case,” said Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Michelle Manning.

Hector Lopez pleaded guilty to intentional cruelty to persons, negligent homicide and three counts each of violation of a protective order and risk of injury to a child in exchange for 20 years in prison, suspended after he serves ten, followed by five years of probation. If he violates probation, he’ll face up to 10 more years in prison. Martinez pleaded guilty to intentional cruelty to persons, hindering prosecution, tampering with evidence and three counts of risk of injury to a minor in exchange for 15 years in prison, suspended after she serves eight, followed by five years of probation. If Martinez violates probation, she could face up to another seven years.

Manning said Wednesday that the sentences were appropriate for the charges but not the facts in the case.

“I know it's not enough. I don't know what else the law would allow at this point. I do think the only comfort the state can give is that this court case is closed after today,” Manning stated. “The pain that this family will go through and go on is forever. The one thing I think is important to recognize is what the definition of a family is. And that’s the people sitting behind me, not the individuals to my right.”

Both defendants showed little emotion during the sentencing hearing. They chose not to address the court, but their attorneys did speak briefly.

“For all of the bad decisions Mercedes made that day, she is no monster,” said Lindy Urso, who represented Martinez. “Obviously, she let her maternal instincts, her concern for her son, affect her decision-making.”

Hector Lopez’s attorney said there was nothing he could say that would change the grief, rage and resentment felt towards his client.

“He is also grieving for what he lost, and I know that’s hard to understand. But he would’ve told you that he loves his wife, he misses her, and that if he could go back in time and do things differently, then he certainly would,” Kevin Black told the court.

Judge John Blawie said he would’ve appreciated some expression of remorse from the defendants even if the victim’s family wouldn’t have accepted it.

In handing down the agreed-upon sentence, Blawie said both acted with a “depraved and selfish indifference to human life—not just any life but a member of their family.”