Two Waupaca families are without their teenage sons. 18-year-old Austin Hovarter is heading to prison pleading no contest in the shooting death of his 15-year-old friend, Jacob Peglow.
"Instead of wishing that my brother could say happy birthday to me, I wish I could know his last words, and his last thoughts," said Josh Peglow, Jacob’s brother.
The sentence is 10 years behind bars.
Plenty of tears ran down faces as a packed courtroom heard nearly a dozen people describe how losing Jacob has affected them.
“I screamed to Jake, ‘Fight! Fight damnit!’” said Jenny Peglow, Jacob’s mother, as she described to the court seeing her shot through both lungs.
Now, Jacob's father says it's time to turn the page.
"This chapter is over. I mean, there's a lot that, our family has done with Austin and Austin has done with us. At this point, it's what's best for our family," said Jim Peglow, Jacob’s father.
As part of the sentence, the judge says Hovarter will speak at a hunter's safety course once a year during his extended supervision, as well as donate to Jacob’s memorial fund.
Hovarter's attorney says he plans to appeal, because he believes the judge reached conclusions during sentencing that were beyond his legal authority.
