SALT LAKE CITY — Rather than apologize or admit guilt, Johnny Brickman Wall continued to maintain his innocence Wednesday as he was ordered to serve 15 years to life in prison for the murder of his ex-wife, Uta von Schwedler. "I did not kill Uta. I am innocent of this crime," Wall told 3rd District Judge James Blanch. The proclamation was similar to another he wrote in a letter sent to Blanch last week.

"I did not murder Uta or in any way contribute to her death," he wrote.

Yet the judge called von Schwedler's death a "chilling and despicable crime."

"This is a sad day, and it's with a heavy heart I impose this sentence," Blanch said. "But I think it's a just sentence."

There was little emotion in the packed courtroom as the anticipated sentence was pronounced.

Pelle Wall, Johnny Wall's oldest son, said his father's protests weren't unexpected.

"Honestly, it's not a huge surprise," he said. "I think he's convinced himself of an alternate reality, so it honestly doesn't surprise me. It's still very, very sad and I hope at some point he does reconsider. But at this point it's not super surprising."

Wall's sentencing was almost anti-climatic as 15-years-to-life was the only option the judge had based on sentencing guidelines.

Von Schwedler, 49, a University of Utah researcher was found dead in her Sugar House home, 1433 E. Harrison Ave. (1625 South), on Sept. 27, 2011. It appeared as though she drowned in her bathtub after taking a toxic level of Xanax. A medical examiner could not determine whether her death was murder or suicide.

Prosecutors successfully convinced a jury that Wall and von Schwedler's tumultuous relationship reached a boiling point and Wall killed his ex-wife whom he despised.

Wall's defense painted a picture, however, of someone who cared about his ex-wife, even though she was self-destructive.

Before the sentence was handed down, defense attorneys argued for about 90 minutes over two motions they filed asking the judge to toss out Wall's guilty verdict because it was based on circumstantial evidence and mountains of inference that did not support the facts.

Blanch denied both motions, saying the jurors were entitled to believe the state's expert witnesses if they wanted. In addition, he said there was plenty of evidence to convince jurors of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Johnny Wall, a former pediatrician, briefly addressed the judge, saying he loved his children, that he was innocent and that he would be appealing his "wrongful conviction."

"My children are always in my thoughts and prayers. Now I am left with only their memories … and the time we spent together as a family," he said.

In the eight-page letter Wall sent to the judge last week, he detailed why he believes all the physical evidence from the trial four months ago proves he did not kill her.

"I am a nonviolent man, raised in a profoundly nonviolent family, with our pacifist Mennonite tradition as a foundation," he wrote. "I know I am innocent, before my God, and believe the physical evidence conclusively supports that."

The judge received many letters from friends and family of both Wall and von Schwedler. Many of Wall's siblings wrote letters to Blanch saying they don't believe he is guilty.

Related:

Jury finds Wall guilty of murdering his ex-wife

A doctor was found guilty late Thursday of killing his ex-wife, who was found dead almost four years ago in an overflowing bathtub in her Sugar House home, a dangerous dose of Xanax in her system and a photo album at her side. (Photo: Steve Griffin)

"I remain firmly convinced of my brother's innocence," Wall's sister, Wendy Wall, wrote to the judge.

But Malkie Wall, who was 16 when her mother died, wrote a letter saying at first she did not believe her father could do such a thing.

"I never wanted to believe that my father killed my mom. For a long time, I tried to convince myself that he was the victim of baseless accusations as he claimed. I invented excuses for erratic behavior, tried to ignore flaws in the stories he told, and refused anyone's efforts to convince me otherwise," she wrote.

But when her older brother Pelle gained custody of his siblings and got them out of their father's home, she said she was able to see how her dad had been manipulating her.

"In truth, I hate to imagine anyone in prison, let alone the person who raised me. But I also believe firmly in justice, and prison is the only recourse I know of for my father. He has inflicted deep, lasting emotional damage that will likely affect me for the rest of my life. I have lost homes, pets, friends, and at times even my sense of self," Malkie Wall wrote.

"Most of all, I have lost my mother — not only her physical being, but also a lifetime of shared experiences. My father, however, still claims to be innocent. He has created a reality for himself in which he is the victim. That refusal to take responsibility is what makes me fearful. If he were released from prison, I don't doubt that he would seek (what is in his mind 'justified') retribution."

In court Wednesday, Pelle Wall called his mother's murder "premeditated" and said his father's claims that he is a victim are "disrespectful" and "despicable."

"Besides the crime itself, placing yourself as the victim of a crime that you perpetrated, to me, I cannot reconcile that. That is beyond me. As I said, I think it is super disrespectful to the true victims. I can't reconcile it," he said.

As for talking about the memories of his family and loving his children, Pelle Wall believes his father was saying what he could to try to receive a lighter sentence.

"I don't know, maybe he does have those feelings, maybe not. I don't know how he could have committed such a crime with any of his children in mind," he said.

"It's good to finally reach this day," he added. "This is something we've been working for for years and years."

Contributing Sandra Yi

Related topics