More than eight months after a Boise woman was shot in the North End, her stalker faced a judge to hear his sentence.
On Sept. 12, 2015, Makaela Zabel-Gravatt was shot in her backyard by 36-year-old Christopher Wirfs.
The mother of four said Wirfs had been her hairdressing client for years but started harassing and threatening her several months before the shooting.
Throughout the sentencing hearing the tone was tense as friends and family of both Makaela and Christopher waited on the edges of their seats for the sentencing and now that its over, Makaela says she can sleep a little easier at night.
Christopher Wirfs was sentenced to 30 years in prison and will be eligible for parole after 25. He received the maximum of five years for stalking in the first degree.
Prosecuting attorney Dan Dinger said Wirfs is a man who is dangerous to virtually everyone in the community because, not only did he threaten and stalk Makaela and previous girlfriends dating back to 1997, he also threatened Makaela's husband.
The defense attorney painted Wirfs as a man who battled mental illness all his life, and said at the time of the shooting, Wirfs was intentionally not on medication. Because of this fact, the judge argued that the mental illness was partially self induced.
Makaela says that her own safety wasn't her only concern before the sentencing.
"I have four children, so we've been living in fear for a long time and it's nice to have a little bit of closure," said Makaela.
Makaela says she believes justice was served today as Wirfs was actually sentenced to five more years than the prosecution initially asked for.