Uploaded: Wednersday, October 10, 2001, 10:20 a.m.

Fitzhugh gets 15 to life

A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge has sentenced Kenneth Fitzhugh of Palo Alto to 15 years to life for the murder of his wife Kristine in May 2000.

Judge Franklin Elia called the crime among the worst he's seen in his 20 years on the bench and that he is still haunted by the gruesome images shown during the trial.

"I am astonished that this individual has shown no remorse," Elia said, referring to a probation report.

Fitzhugh will be eligible for parole in 2015.

Even if Fitzhugh were innocent, Elia said, he has shown "stoic indifference" inconsistent with others in his position.

"(Anthropologist) Dr. Jane Goodall tells us that gorillas in the wild show trauma when they lose their mates," he said.

Fitzhugh was arrested days after his wife was found in the basement of their home. Police testified that they believe the body was put there after she was strangled and beaten in her kitchen. Blood splatters matching Kristine's blood were found throughout the home.