Former Police Officer Sentenced To 16 To Life For Murdering Wife, Hiding Body In Garage

Stephanie Stroud -- the daughter of Gary and Diane Stroud -- began to list all of the milestones her parents would miss because her father killed her mother -- her wedding, the birth of her children, grandchildren.

"I can never understand how people who love each other so much can do something so terrible," Stephanie Stroud said to her father on the day he was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison.

It was never in question what punishment former Mentor police officer and Lake County Special Deputy Gary Stroud would receive for beating his wife, Diane Stroud, to death with a hammer and then hiding her body in his garage for weeks.

Under Ohio law, Lake County Common Pleas Judge Joseph Gibson could only give Stroud 15 to life for murder and another year for concealing her body.

However, people crowded the court room Wednesday afternoon to see what, if anything, Gary Stroud would say.

Gary Stroud began by apologizing to his wife, saying that he didn't plan or want to kill her.

"Your honor, I'm guilty of my crime," he said. "I caused the death of my wife, Diane Elaine Stroud. I loved her and still love her very much."

He also apologized to his children, in-laws and to the law-enforcement agencies for which he used to work.

"To the Mentor Police Department and Lake County Sheriff's Office, I'm sorry if my actions caused you embarrassment," he said.

Greg Stroud, Gary and Diane Stroud's son, sobbed as he spoke at the sentencing.

"You were always a good dad. Mom was a good mom. And I miss you both very much and I don't understand why," he said.

Charlotte Ross, Diane's mother, also could not understand what caused Gary Stroud to kill his wife.

"Gary, when you married my daughter, Diane, I took you into my life as a son. I saw you as a good husband and a good father. What happened?" she asked.

"You killed her in a fashion that was brutal and uncalled for," she continued. "Diane is not perfect. Nobody is. But what you did to her and did to the body is horrible."

Stroud did not explain what caused him to beat his wife to death with a hammer or why he chose to hide her body in their garage for weeks.

Instead, he alluded to friction because of her "changing lifestyle" and financial stress.

Gibson said he was "incredibly disturbed" by Gary Stroud's actions.

"I'm struck by your actions -- not just the senseless murder of your wife or the macabre behavior you undertook after her murder," the judge said.

"I'm struck by your attempt to restore these relationships ... with your children, with your mother-in-law, with your former coworkers ... You can't restore these relationships, Mr. Stroud. You've destroyed them. You've killed their mother, their daughter, their sister."

Gibson then sentenced Gary Stroud to 16 years to life in prison, the longest possible punishment he could give him.

"I can't judge you -- not the sort of judgment you deserve," Gibson said "That's going to come from something far beyond me, someone who doesn't have to run for public office."

Gary Stroud July 16, a few days before his trial was set to begin.

He admitted that he repeatedly struck his wife, Diane Stroud, in the head with a hammer and .

Diane Stroud, , had not been seen for six weeks when police were called to their home on Nov. 27, 2011, after a family member smelled an unusual odor coming from the garage.

During that time, Gary Stroud told his family and neighbors that she had left him and joined a cult, .

When the family member asked about the smell, Stroud claimed that one of the chickens he kept in the back yard had died. But the family member was suspicious enough that she called police.

When police searched the garage, they found Diane Stroud's body. It was encased in a sleeping bag with a garbage bag pulled over her head that was secured with duct tape. Then the sleeping bag was covered with a tarp that was also held down with duct tape, according to the affidavit.

Finally, both a bag of lime and a bottle of bleach were found near the body.

Police immediately arrested Gary Stroud.

Stroud retired from the Mentor Police Department more than six years ago. Since then, he had worked for the Lake County Sheriff's Office part time as a special deputy.

He provided court security, helped deliver papers, escorted clerical employees to the bank and did other odd jobs.

Stroud was laid off by the department in September 2011 -- not because he was remiss in his work but because of financial necessities, the sheriff said.

Additionally, Stroud's house was foreclosed on in October, according to Lake County Court of Common Pleas records.