DAVENPORT, Iowa — The Eldridge man accused of murdering his wife in June 2021 received his sentence from a Scott County judge on Thursday after pleading guilty to second-degree murder last month.
Shane Bostrom was sentenced to 50 years in prison Thursday morning. The now-36-year-old man originally faced first-degree murder for killing his wife, 28-year-old Jessica Bostrom, at their home on June 10, 2021.
"For a loved one to take another person's life and for a father to have to bury their own child is probably one of the hardest things that's ever happened in my life," Jessica's father, Christopher Sherman said. "Jessica's never going to rest in peace."
Bostrom and prosecutors agreed to an August plea deal that reduced the first-degree murder charge to second-degree. In the state of Iowa, the second-degree murder charge is a Class B felony that carries a maximum sentence of 50 years, where 70%, or 35 years of the sentence, must be served before parole can be granted.
"He is accepting responsibility, he has accepted responsibility," defendant attorney Miguel Puentes said. "He's in a much better place today than he was then."
"This has affected all of us, emotionally, cognitively and physically," the victim's family spokesperson said. "The impact for us will last a life-time. We will grieve her, we will miss her always."
Online court records say Bostrom will be transported to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville.
Scott County Sheriff's deputies responded to Bostrom's residence in the 300 block of West Davenport Street on the day of the murder and discovered his wife dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
"It's just very tragic and senseless," Scott County Attorney Mike Walton said. "A person who shouldn't of had guns using guns."
Bostrom initially told investigators that the gun had fired accidentally while he was cleaning it, however, the Scott County Attorney's Office said the investigation revealed that the killing had not been an accident.
Christopher also made a statement in court about his own past saying, "I understand the dependency of drugs and alcohol," but he did not explain how that relates to the case.
In addition to the sentence, Shane must pay $150,000 to the estate of the victim.
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