A Rio Hondo man will spend 55 years in prison after a jury decided his punishment on Monday after he was found guilty of the murder of 15-year-old Alexandra Castillo from Harlingen.

Related story: Jury finds man guilty in 2020 murder of teen

Jesus Saldana Ramirez will go to prison right away. He will get credit for the nearly three years he's spent in jail while awaiting trial. 

Jurors convicted him in just hours after they heard nearly a week of testimonies and evidence.

The mother of the Alexandra says she's thankful justice was served and that she and her family got some sort of closure.

"I saw each and every single photo because I wanted to see what she went through. Every stab wound that I counted, I was feeling the pain," Elsa Castillo said.

67 times, that is the number of times Alexandra was stabbed in May of 2020.

"I don't know what she was doing. [If] she was crying out for help, and nobody will ever know," Elsa said.

After being found guilty of murder on Friday, Ramirez made a final plea.

"I'm very sorry for all of this," Ramirez said.

"I don't even want his forgiveness. I don't even care, because he still gets to see his family. He still gets to see his niece, his nephews. My daughters not going to be able to see her sisters, see her get married [or] have a baby," Elsa said.

Assistant District Attorney Peter Gilman says the DA's office asked the jury for a 99-year sentence, but Ramirez was given 55 years.

"67 stab wounds is more than just a sudden passion as far as I was concerned. I felt like that was a sure sign of knowingly intentionally," Gilman said.

The defense argued Ramirez acted out of self-defense. They told jurors Alexandra had a mood disorder.

But that is not the girl Elsa knew. She says Alexandra will be remembered for who she was.

Elsa says she had hoped the jury would sentence Ramirez to life in prison.

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