Christopher Plaskon Sentenced for Fatally Stabbing Maren Sanchez, 16: BREAKING

MILFORD, Conn. - Christopher Plaskon, 18, who fatally stabbed classmate Maren Sanchez, 16, in April 2014 after she turned down his prom invitation, was sentenced to 25 years in prison during a court appearance Monday, according to reports.

Plaskon in March agreed to a no-contest plea for his role in the stabbing death of Sanchez, who was Jonathan Law's junior class President.

A no-contest plea means that Plaskon accepts his punishment but he doesn’t accept or deny his responsibility for the crime, the Milford Mirror reports.

Plaskon received a 25-year sentence but could be out of jail in 13 years, his attorneys said, the Mirror reports.

The judge called the sentence “appropriate, just and fair,” NBC Connecticut reports.

Sanchez's mother, Donna Sanchez, spoke before sentencing. Later Sanchez's mother and father told the media that they felt the sentence wasn't long enough and that Plakson could be out of prison before he turns 40 years old.

"She was my partner in crime, my best friend, my greatest joy," Donna Sanchez said via NBC CT.

Jose Sanchez, Maren’s father, said, “I’ll never get my daughter back — my daughter will always be dead,” according to the New Haven Register.

Jose Sanchez went on to say that the sentence shows that even for a crime of murder in Connecticut the offender does “very little time.”

“And it’s not the message that we want to send to the children in our schools,” Jose Sanchez said via the Register.

Plaskon’s attorneys apologized to the Sanchez family on behalf of their client and their client’s family.

Plaskon’s attorney, Edward J. Gavin, refuted claims that his client stabbed Sanchez over a prom rejection.

He said the teens were friends but that Plaskon was “suffering from auditory and visual hallucinations,” Gavin said, according to the New Haven Register.

“This is a tragedy for Maren Sanchez, her family...,” Gavin said via the Register. “It’s a “senseless situation,” but Plaskon was “driven here by his psychosis.”

(Patch will update this story throughout the day. Check back for frequent updates.)

Plaskson in March faced a deadline on whether to accept the plea offer. If Plaskon rejected the plea offer he would have faced a three-judge trial in the spring.

• See related: Maren Sanchez Family Files Lawsuit Over Daughter's Death

Sanchez's death stunned the Milford community, but in the days, weeks and months ahead the small city pulled together to comfort each other. A week after Sanchez's death, more than 1,500 people attended a vigil in Milford to honor Sanchez's life but to also grieve and heal together. Plaskon, who was 16 at the time of the murder, has served 24 months in prison.

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In December 2015, new details were revealed regarding the fatal stabbing of Sanchez at Jonathan Law High School in April 2014.

According to court documents, the motive for the murder was Sanchez’s rejection of Plaskon’s request to go to the junior class prom with him. Plaskon told his family he heard voices in his head and that is why he killed Sanchez, according to the Milford Mirror.

Plaskon’s attorneys have said if the case went to trial they planned an insanity defense. Court documents also stated that Plaskon told a friend he wanted to take Sanchez to the prom and he desired to be more than friends with her.

Prior to Sanchez’s murder, Plaskon was bothered that a female turned him down for the prom, the Milford Mirror reports. Plaskon allegedly told a friend he “wouldn’t mind if (Maren) was dead or hit by a bus,” the court documents state.

Related stories: One Year After Maren Sanchez Tragedy, Milford Turns Grief to Compassion

• Milford ‘Thanks’ Maren Sanchez for Her Legacy of Love and Compassion

Plaskon’s attorneys have argued that their client was suffering from a mental defect at the time of the stabbing.

“It is his intention to defend against the charges filed against him and rely on the affirmative defense that at the time of the alleged commission of the offense, he was suffering from a mental disease or defect and or extreme emotional disturbance,” the defense’s notice states.

The Estate of Maren Sanchez brought a lawsuit in March against the Milford Board of Education and City of Milford as well as against Plaskon and his parents, David and Kathleen Plaskon.

The lawsuit alleges that Maren reported to the high school guidance department her concern that Christopher Plaskon was emotionally disturbed and was threatening to commit suicide or acts of serious self-harm by cutting himself with a knife, and that she believed it was important for high school personnel to help Plaskon, then 16, to prevent him from engaging in potentially violent conduct dangerous to himself or to others.

According to the lawsuit, Plaskon’s guidance counselor failed to advise the school principal, school security or others in the school administration or the Connecticut Department of Children and Families of Maren’s report in violation of mandatory school policies and state law.

The lawsuit further alleges that Plaskon’s parents were aware that their son was engaging in self-destructive conduct with knives that was potentially dangerous to himself and others and failed to obtain proper medical treatment for him or to prevent him from having access to knives.

According to the lawsuit, Plaskon was absent from school for a week after Maren’s report about him to the guidance counselor and then returned to school and continued to engage in self-destructive behavior, including cutting himself with a knife, and began bringing a knife to school with him.

Plaskon is being held at the Manson Youth Institute in Cheshire on a $3 million bond.