Barbara Coyne's family remembers her at sentencing for her killer

Before Suffolk Superior Court Judge Mitchell Kaplan imposed a mandatory life sentence on Timothy Kostka for murdering Barbara Coyne, 67, in her home on April 16, 2012, her family members had a chance to read victim-impact statements.

"I have never been more proud of my mother than I am right now, " her son, Richard, said. "She fought for her home, for her sleeping granddaughter, and for her life."

Prosecutors showed that Kostka broke into Coyne's home looking for her son's fishing equipment, and that when she confronted him, he beat her and slashed her throat - then made off with jewelry, coins and winning lottery tickets, which he cashed in.

"She brought us through far too many family tragedies with nurturing and love," Coyne's sister said, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. She turned to Kostka: "I know if you had just asked her for help, she would have done it. She did it for everyone."