Jonathan Thomas Moore, a New Point resident arrested last June and charged with murder in the deaths of his parents, Adam Thomas Moore and Melissa Dawn Moore, was sentenced by Judge Jeffrey W. Shaw on Wednesday morning to 40 years in prison on one charge of first-degree murder, a Class 2 felony, and five years in prison on one charge of stab in the commission of a felony, a Class 6 felony.

The two sentences will run consecutively, for a total of 45 years in prison.

Moore, 25, was found guilty by Judge Shaw in December after reaching a plea deal with the Commonwealth’s Attorney. As part of that deal, one charge of first-degree murder and one charge of stab in the commission of a felony were dismissed.

He faced a sentence of up to life in prison on the murder charge, while he received the maximum sentence of five years on the stab in commission of a felony conviction.

During arguments prior to sentencing, Special Prosecutor T. Marie Walls asked for the maximum sentence for Moore, repeatedly pointing out the ferocity of the crime, which involved at least 21 deep, penetrating stab wounds to his mother’s back and chest, with at least one as deep as 7 inches, as well as multiple stab wounds to his father involving injuries to his lungs, ribs, hands, neck, and the back of his head. Moore used multiple knives, said Walls, stabbing his parents with such ferocity that blades broke off.

While Moore “made much” about his parents’ use of alcohol and drugs, said Walls, no drugs were found in either of their bodies, and Moore himself admitted to having used drugs and alcohol and being “in a state of rage” when he killed them. She said he had carved his initials on the wall in his parents’ home after he killed them, and after he fled the scene, he stopped and had breakfast before continuing his flight, leaving behind “a horrifying scene.”

“He indicates he knows what he’s done,” said Walls. “He’s not a child. He’s not even a teenager. He could’ve left home at any time, but instead he lived off of his parents. He knows what he did.”

Defense attorney Julie Churchill argued that Moore has taken responsibility for his actions and has indicated that he felt unstable at the time of the offenses. While Moore had one brief involuntary commitment while in jail, she said he has had two long periods of voluntary commitment and has stated that he’s sorry for his actions.

As she spoke, Moore, surrounded by four officers, sat hunched over, his face down and his shoulders heaving.

Churchill said she believed Moore understood the nature and consequences of his actions and she thought he could be rehabilitated.

“He admits that mental health is the number-one concern he has for himself and the community,” she said.

In a final rebuttal, Walls said that nothing presented served to mitigate Moore’s responsibility for what he had done.

Shaw gave Moore the opportunity to speak for himself, and the defendant read a statement he had prepared. After clearing his throat a couple of times, he spoke calmly and clearly.

Moore thanked Judge Shaw for his consideration in sentencing and apologized “for you seeing me at a low point in my life.” He said the actions he took that night “are a poor reflection of the person I am,” and he asked, “How was I capable of taking the beloved lives of my parents?

“It’s a question I can’t answer,” Moore said.

He went on to talk of his parents raising him with love and teaching him to be a caring and truthful person. He said he had voluntarily sought out mental health treatment, although he did have one involuntary commitment, and he said further mental health treatment would be helpful.

Moore said he is now sober from marijuana, alcohol and recreational drug use, and that “I’m truly sorry and filled with massive regret and sorrow for taking my parents’ lives.”

He thanked his family for serving as his support system and showing him unconditional love, and ended by saying, “I thank my parents for all the good memories they gave me growing up. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about that day.”

After his sentencing, Moore, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, with shackles on his wrists and ankles, was remanded to custody.