The family of Carlos Figueroa is left with pictures and memories of its son, father, friend and husband after he was fatally shot during a drug deal in February 2015.
"It's my kids that matter the most in this situation, because of the simple fact that no kid should live without their father," said Crystal Figueroa, Carlos Figueroa's wife.
Carlson Nunes will spend 22 years to life in prison for the shooting death of Figueroa during an attempted robbery.
"I really, really am sorry. Honestly, I was just protecting my own life. I didn’t know what to do," Nunes said in court on Tuesday before he was sentenced.
"He got what he deserved, and I'm sure he'll have a lot of time to think about what he's done," said the victim's father, Herman Figueroa.
Police say Nunes and four other men drove to Schenectady on February 16 last year to buy marijuana from Figueroa, with the intent to rob him. When Nunes realized Figueroa only had a bag stuffed with other bags and no drugs, prosecutors say he pistol-whipped Figueroa and the gun fired, shooting Figueroa in the neck.
"He knew he was bringing a gun. He knew he was doing everything wrong. He knew it," Herman Figueroa said.
Nunes’ attorney says an appeal is planned, but Figueroa’s family has confidence that his sentence will be upheld.
"Even though it's not exactly what we wanted, at least he's going to have to think about it every day, live with it, and I hope it tortures him," Crystal Figueroa said.
As family members work on moving forward in their lives without Figueroa, Nunes will spend his time in prison working toward forgiving himself.
"What I can do is accept what I did while forgiving the part of me that was unaware of what I was doing, and how it could impact other people," Nunes said in court.
"Carlos has made an impact on everybody's life. Everybody loved him. He was literally my soulmate, and now I feel left alone in the world thanks to Carlson," Crystal said.