Godfrey gets life without parole in resentencing

A man convicted of murder getting a second chance at sentencing instead will never get out of prison – at least based on the ruling of a local court on Wednesday.

Harry Van Godfrey Jr. was originally sentenced in 2000 to life with parole for the murder of Angie Conner Godfrey, but a Georgia Supreme Court ruling found that conditions of his previous sentencing were nullified and unconstitutional, and the case was remitted back to the Tallapoosa Circuit after the previous life with the possibility of parole was found legally void.

So Godfrey was in court by Zoom after filing a motion to seek a new sentence, but came out worse than when he started. Tallapoosa Circuit Superior Court Judge Andrew Roper changed Godfrey’s life sentence with the possibility of parole to a life sentence without the possibility of parole, plus another 20 year consecutive sentence on a separate count.

In a release on the Wednesday sentencing hearing’s results, D.A. Jaeson Smith stated, “The District Attorney’s Office has developed a strong relationship with Angie’s family, and we remain committed to pursuing justice on their behalf. We will continue to stand with Angie’s loved ones through any further legal proceedings.”

The family of Angie Conner Godfrey provided Polk Today the following statement after the sentencing as well:

“We are thankful that justice was served. The person responsible for taking the life of our precious Angie will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Angie was one of a kind and loved by everyone that ever met her. As a family, we will continue to fight to keep her memory alive!

We’re so grateful to the DA’s office, victim advocates and the Our House staff members for their support and for standing with us during this journey.”