A man has been sentenced to decades behind bars for killing a 14-year-old boy in 2020.

Diante Willoughby, 21, was sentenced to 40 years for strangling 14-year-old Jose Nunez after forcing bleach down his throat, believing it would have the anesthetic effects of chloroform. Willoughby sent the young teen a message on Snapchat to lure him out of his home in July of 2020.

After Nunez was strangled to death, his body was found in the town of Oxford.

The family of 14-year-old Jose Nunez says they are glad there has been a sentencing in this case, but that it has done nothing to ease their pain.

"No matter what time he got, no matter what they do with him at this point, we're always going to live the life sentence," said Nunez's grandmother Sally Martinez.

Nunez's family tells News 12 that Willoughby told the court he committed the murder because he was afraid Nunez was going to tell people he was "a pedophile" and that the accusation would ruin his chances of becoming a police officer.

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The family tells News 12 Willoughby apologized to them and they had empathy for him because of the hardships he endured as a child.

"He was remorseful," said Nunez's aunt, Denise Catlett. "Because he is, you know, a human being also."

They say their real problem is with his juvenile accomplice, who they believe masterminded the killing then showed no remorse for his actions, going so far as to giggle at the family in the court room.

The family says the juvenile's role in this horrific crime resulted in only 18 months behind bars. The family hopes one day he will understand the gravity of his actions.

Nunez's mother says she does not think she will ever recover from this tragedy.

"I wake up from the nightmare and I just lay in my bed and cry. I don't sleep," said Carmen Velez.