Nachtman Sentenced To Life For Murders Of Mother, Stepfather

CARROLLWOOD, FL — Nicole Nachtman was sentenced to life in prison Saturday morning after a jury found her guilty of murdering her mother and stepfather in August 2015.

The jury reached its verdict after 12 hours of deliberation, concluding that the former Florida State University student was aware of her actions when she drove from Tallahassee to Carrollwood and shot her stepfather, Robert Dienes. Prosecutors said she cleaned up the crime scene before her mother returned home. She then shot her mother in the driveway of their home.

Prosecutors said she killed the couple to avoid telling them that she failed to secure house at FSU for the coming semester.

The weeklong trial included testimony from neighbors, who heard Nachtman's mother scream, her brother, Joseph Carey, who said Nachtman admitted to him that she committed the murders, and from a psychotherapist who said Nachtman had history of severe mental health issues.

Much of the defense revolved around Nachtman's relationship with her mother. Attorney Dana Herce-Fulgueira told the jury that Nachtman was terrified of her mother due to a lifetime of verbal abuse and showed symptoms of psychosis, including hearing voices.

“She constantly focused on Nicole’s weight. She fat-shamed her. Made her get liposuction,” Herce-Fulgueira said.

In the end, however, the jury agreed that Nachtman understood right from wrong when she committed the murders.