Jorge Rodriguez killed Keisha Alexander in June 2014 during a burglary at her Trenton home.
TRENTON -- Keisha Alexander awoke in her Trenton home on a summer night in 2014 and realized possibly her worst fear: a stranger standing in her bedroom with a knife.
Alexander screamed and fought, a prosecutor said, but could not overpower the burglar-turned-killer who stabbed her over 40 times.
Police officers found the 49-year-old locked in a bathroom in her Edgewood Avenue home, partially clothed and sitting on the toilet, slumped dead against the wall.
The stranger was Jorge Rodriguez and on Thursday a judge sentenced the now 22-year-old to 30 years in prison, a plea-negotiated term requiring him to serve the entire sentence before he's eligible for parole.
Mercer County Superior Court Judge Darlene Pereksta handed down the sentence on the charge of felony murder following remarks by Alexander's family, Rodriguez's family and the defendant himself.
"My sister's here," Rose Chapman announced at the courtroom podium, holding a small container of her sister's ashes. "This is all we have left of her."
She described Alexander as the third sister of six who overcame numerous obstacles in life, from abandonment and abuse to become the family's "rock of knowledge."
Alexander would have given Rodriguez the property he sought when he lifted a window and climbed into her home - if he had just asked. Instead, he selfishly took her life and treated her as a meaningless person.
"She was something to us," Chapman said, her voice rising. "Jorge Rodriguez took the best part of us."
Rodriguez left a horrific hole in the hearts of five siblings and dozens of grandkids and nieces and nephews, who will always be looking for "the plug, the band aid, the glue" to patch it up, Chapman said.
"Jorge Rodriguez did not deserve to be the last thing she saw with her loving sight," Chapman said.
At the end of Chapman's remarks, though, she said of her sister: "She taught us forgiveness."
"I can only speak for myself, when I say I forgive you," Chapman said.
Alexander's daughter Kenya Jenkins said she has visions of her mother screaming for her life.
"I miss my mother so much, she was the sweetest person ever," she said through sobs. "May God have mercy on his soul."
Rodriguez said he had a lot of regrets in his life and pledged to spend the next three decades behind bars becoming a better person. "Actions speak louder. I am going to try and turn my life around."
"I hope God can forgive me," he said, turning his shackled body toward Alexander's family. "I hope you all can forgive me one day."
His brother Keith Belmont and Rodriguez's mother Maria Belmont also apologized to Alexender's family members.
"Keisha is in my heart everyday of my life," Maria Belmont said, tears streaming down her face. " I am so sorry."
"To my son, I love you and I'll always love you but you have to search your heart and forgive yourself, and you have to grow," Maria Belmont said.
Rodriguez's defense attorney Kathleen Redpath-Perez, as well as Assistant Prosecutor Kathleen Petrucci, said the defendant's childhood was plagued by bad homes, juvenile crimes and mental illness.
He was taken from a crack house when he was 4 days old and spent many years in state protective custody, Redpath-Perez said.
Rodriguez did graduate from Nottingham High School in Hamilton and has a daughter, officials said in court.
Petrucci said Alexander likely felt safe and secure in her home, and Rodriguez had the choice to walk out of the home when he saw found it occupied.
Instead he killed, "And there's no doubt that Ms. Alexander fought desperately for her life," Petrucci said.
Pereksta said comparing Rodriguez's bad childhood to Alexander's struggles - as described by her family members - Alexander was able persevere in hers.
"She was the glue of the that family and she overcame those issues," Pereksta said. "At some point a choice is made and responsibility must be taken."
"Nothing I can do can bring true justice to this family," the judge said.
Police found Rodriguez at a Trenton hospital shortly after the June 2014 killing as he sought treatment for a cut to his arm. He had had blood on his pants and shirt, authorities have said.
He ultimately confessed to detectives, who linked him to the crime scene through DNA testing. Authorities found evidence that Rodriguez raped Alexander, but he pleaded guilty to the murder charge, in April of this year.
"A vast majority of criminal indictments resolve via plea bargain and murder charges are no exception," Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said after the sentencing.
"It is because of this overwhelming evidence that this matter was resolved without a trial and the residents of Mercer County are assured that another murderer will be behind bars for the next few decades."
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.