SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- District Attorney Bill Fitzpatrick doesn't spend his time on the unanswered questions, especially when it comes to the murder of 21-month-old Maddox Lawrence. 

"I firmly believe there is good and evil, and that evil took over him when he killed his child," he said of Ryan Lawrence. "Maddox is the quintessential innocent victim."

Which is why so many in this community were horrified to find out her own father, Ryan Lawrence, was the one who took her life away. But on Wednesday, it was the first time we heard from those closest to him.

"You will not hear words of encouragement from me, not anymore. You, my brother, will live the rest of your life knowing you murdered your shot at true happiness," said Ryan's brother Rich Lawrence.

"I will never overcome this feeling of loss. but I will spend the rest of my life trying to figure out how I got to such a dark irrational state," Ryan Lawrence said.

It's a state of mind many say is the epitome of what evil looks like.

"Crawling into the head of Ryan Lawrence is not something I'm going venture and try to do," added Onondaga County Senior Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Cali.

Lawrence was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, which means he could be up for parole at some point in his life. But family members made it very clear they will fight that when the day comes, some fearing he may kill again.