Mathuen man gets life sentence for hammer slaying

LAWRENCE, Mass. (FOX25, myfoxboston) - A Methuen man convicted of beating a woman to death with a hammer has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Levi Alcantara was sentenced in Superior Court yesterday for killing Maria Sastre of Lawrence in April 2006. He received an additional nine years for attacking her son as he came to his mother's aid.

Alcantara was found guilty on Friday after a two-week trial and more than eight hours of deliberations.

The Eagle-Tribune reports that Sastre's daughter, 10 years old when her mother died, said in a victim impact statement that Alcantara killed her "soul."

Sastre's family said she and Alcantara were acquaintances.

Alcantara claimed that four men who broke into Sastre's home killed her, then kidnapped him.

Information from: Eagle Tribune, http://www.eagletribune.com