A Cascade County judge described the sentencing for Richard Tome Wednesday as the harshest he’s ever given.
Tome was sentenced to life in the Montana State Prison for raping a 13-year-old developmentally-disabled girl.
He was found guilty of the charge in December.
The state asked for Tome to be sentenced to life in prison and the defense had no recommendation.
Before Judge Greg Pinski imposed the sentence, he said he could not find the words to describe the crime.
“There are absolutely no words to describe the horrific nature of this crime,” Pinski said. “I could call it horrific. I could call it violent. I could call it appalling or disgusting, but those words failed to capture the utter depravity of the crime that Mr. Tome committed.”
Judge Pinski said it was the harshest sentence he has imposed during his six years on the bench.
