May 12—BEULAH — An Elberta man convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of three members of his family will spend the rest of his life in prison after a judge ordered the mandatory sentence.

"I see an evil human being," 19th Circuit Court Judge David A. Thompson told Robert Michael Freebold, before sentencing him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

"The jury's verdict is, without question, the correct verdict," Thompson said. "This defendant showed absolutely no remorse."

A jury in April found Freebold, 60, guilty of three counts of premeditated first-degree murder in the deaths of his ex-wife, Marilyn Schultz Freebold, 63, their son, Robert "Bobby" James Freebold, 27, and Marilyn's son, Malachi Maloney, 20.

Judge Thompson spoke directly to Freebold during a sentencing hearing Thursday, after Benzie County Prosecutor Sara Swanson read aloud a family member's victim's impact statement.

"I should have forgot about you, but I didn't and now you mean nothing," Emily VanBrocklin, who is Freebold's daughter, said in her written statement.

"You're completely erased from this world," VanBrocklin's statement read. "And your remaining living children will never reach out to you. You will spend the rest of your days alone."

VanBrocklin wrote how she and other members of her family had welcomed her father back into the fold after he'd been out of their lives for decades, and he responded to their kindness with unspeakable violence.

Swanson, who prosecuted the case during a lengthy trial where jury members viewed gruesome crime scene photos, also spoke at the hearing Thursday.

The prosecutor asked the court to sentence Freebold to life without parole, "not only because that's what's required, but also because that's what this defendant deserves."

Sentencing guidelines, passed by the state legislature, give judges no discretion in first-degree murder convictions and require a mandatory life sentence.

Swanson told the court the Benzie County community had lost three valuable community members because of the defendant's actions.

She went on to describe Marilyn Schultz Freebold as kind and well-liked; Bobby Freebold as a loyal son who wanted to purchase the home the family was living in; and Malachi Maloney as a college student with what should have been a bright future ahead of him.

Freebold declined to give a statement to the court; his attorney, Anthony Cicchelli, said he'd advised his client against speaking during the sentencing hearing.

Several relatives of the victims in April attended every day of the trial, were present at the sentencing hearing and grew visibly emotional as court adjourned.

Swanson previously said she was glad of the verdict, while acknowledging the the family's loss.

Judge Thompson remarked from the bench how Freebold had shown no or little emotion as the details of his crimes were relayed to jurors.

On Thursday, Freebold presented a similar outward appearance as the verdict was read.

Judge Thompson then ordered the defendant be remanded to the custody of the Michigan Department of Corrections.