After pleading guilty to the murder of Murray State student Sarah Townsend, Julius Sotomayor was sentenced to serve 40 years behind bars on three separate charges. 

Townsend was a senior pre-veterinary major from Farmville, Virginia, and a residential adviser at College Courts. Her body was found with multiple bullet wounds in the Cherry Corner area on March 26, 2021. 

For the murder of Townsend alone, a class A felony, Sotomayor was sentenced to 40 years in prison. For two additional class D felonies, theft by unlawful taking (more than $500 but less than $10,000) and tampering with evidence, Sotomayor will serve two concurrent five-year sentences. 

Assistant Commonwealth Attorney James Burkeen said Sotomayor would not be eligible for probation because he has a prior criminal history.

Burkeen said the deputies working on the case say it was the most senseless act they have seen.

Sotomayor said he was sorry for what he did to his friend and how he impacted Townsend’s family, and that he is praying for them.

Calloway County Circuit Court Judge David Buckingham responded regarding Sotomayor’s crime.

 “If there’s any decency in you at all, you would wish you had not have done this,” Buckingham said. “You understand the hurt you caused that will never leave this family? You understand this?”

Buckingham asked Townsend’s family, who appeared by phone, if they had anything they wished to say. The family said no.