BONNER COUNTY, Idaho — A North Idaho man was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Tuesday for the murder of his first wife more than 15 years ago.
Stephen Lott received 15 years for voluntary manslaughter and 10 years for failing to report a death. The judge said it is the maximum sentence.
"I've never seen any remorse. I haven't seen any acceptance of responsibility. There is no doubt in this court's mind that you are responsible for the death of Christine," said Bonner County Judge Barbara Buchanan.
Lott entered an Alford plea in July to those charges as part of a plea deal, according to Idaho court records.
Under the terms of the plea, Lott did not admit wrongdoing but conceded he could be convicted if the case went before a jury. The plea, though, was not regarded different than guilty pleas during his sentencing.
During sentencing, a detective testified that Lott provided conflicting stories to detectives about Christine Lott's disappearance. Two of their sons also testified, calling Stephen a liar and the man who took away their mother.
"I trusted you dad. And you lied to me. And you're probably never going to come clean," said Lucas Lott.
Other family members also called him out for covering up Christine's death.
"You were my brother in law for nine years. You were part of our family. We loved you. We gave you the benefit of the doubt and never suspected this coldness in you," said Angela Baker, Christine's sister.
Prosecutors argued for a heavy sentence, saying Stephen not only killed his wife but also covered it up for over a decade.
Stephen offered up a brief statement apologizing for lying to everyone who testified in court. He said he accepts the punishment.
"I'm sorry for breaking ya'lls hearts. If I could go back to change it, I would," he said.
Christine went missing in March 2004 while living in Priest Lake. She had three kids.
Stephen Lott reported her missing but her body was not found until February 2016 – 12 years after the missing persons report. A shed hunter found what appeared to be human remains in the woods off Forest Service Road 499 in Kootenai County.
During the investigation, detectives said Stephen became the primary person of interest in Christine’s disappearance. Multiple interviews were conducted with Stephen and other witnesses. Over the years, detectives continued to explore leads and searched suspected areas in the county for Christine’s remains.
Investigators were then able to piece together the case against Lott after the body was found.
Two years after her body was found, police found a note that Lott wrote to his family saying that his wife took her own life. But that is different than what he told police in 2004, which helped them get a warrant for his arrest.
WARNING: This video contains strong language.
On June 19, 2018, Lott was arrested in Murfeesboro, Tennessee, on a warrant out of Bonner County. He was taken back to Bonner County on July 3 and made his first court appearance a short time later.
In the years after the murder, Lott remarried and his current wife said she is shocked by what’s happened in the past year-and-a-half.
"He had told me whenever he and I first met that Christine had disappeared with one of her friends, and that was it. That's all I was ever told," Laura Lott said.
Laura Lott added that her heart breaks for Christine’s relatives.
"I'm very sympathetic. I feel sorry that they've lost their daughter. I can't imagine what it's like to be searching for your daughter for 14 years," she said.