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SOUTH BEND — As she weighed what sentence to give Douglas Guilmette this morning, St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Jane Woodward Miller considered more than just his extensive criminal history.
The judge also looked at the brutal way he killed his victim, Greg Piechocki Jr., in September 2010.
“I sentence people often that shoot someone once and kill them or maybe twice and kill them,” the judge told 39-year-old Guilmette. “The idea that you engaged in this brutally up-close and personal bludgeoning of another human being reflects not only on the suffering of Greg Piechocki, but (also) on your character.”
The judge ordered Guilmette to serve 92 years in prison — 60 years for the murder, two years for thefts he committed the night of the crime and 30 years for being a habitual offender.
“It struck me as the most personal and brutal of crimes,” the judge said.
Piechocki was found beaten to death in a bedroom in the 1700 block of South Walnut Street on Sept. 14, 2010.
Piechocki and Guilmette had been drinking at the Walnut Street home on Sept. 13 with Piechocki’s roommate, according to court documents. The roommate went to bed and left Piechocki and Guilmette in the living room. When the roommate returned from work the next day, he found Piechocki dead, court documents show.
Guilmette’s shoes were seized by police and investigators found bloodstains on them, according to court documents. Forensic scientists determined the blood contained Piechocki’s DNA, according to court documents.
Guilmette was convicted by a jury March 16. He continues to maintain his innocence and said today he plans to appeal his conviction.
“I got convicted of something I didn’t do,” Guilmette said. He said he lost one of his own children, and “I would never wish that pain on any parent. ... I don’t know where to go from here.”
“You’re going to prison, Mr. Guilmette,” the judge said sternly.
