USA: Man gets 100 years for killing elderly friend

. CHICAGO, Illinois / The Chicago Tribune / June 19, 2009 By Matthew Walberg | Tribune reporter A Cook County judge spared a South Side man of the death penalty but still sentenced him to 100 years in prison Thursday for fatally beating and robbing an elderly friend. Circuit Judge Lawrence Fox rejected the death penalty despite Robert Clark's lengthy criminal history -- including for the aggravated battery of a 9-year-old girl. "This defendant, in my opinion, does not fall into the category of the worst of the worst," said Fox, who nonetheless imposed the 100-year sentence to ensure "he'll spend the rest of his life in prison." Last February a jury convicted Clark, 46, of the 2004 murder of Leodis Norwood, 71, who was killed a few days after the death of his wife. Prosecutors said Norwood was giving a ride to Clark, a family friend, when the two quarreled, prompting Norwood to order him out of his car. As the two stood outside the vehicle in the 9100 block of South Lafayette Avenue, Norwood armed himself with a metal steering wheel lock, but Clark wrested the lock away and struck him in the head, fracturing his skull. Clark then pinned Norwood to the ground, punching him in the face before rifling through his pockets. As Clark tried to escape in the car, Norwood grabbed onto the door. But Clark punched him, causing Norwood to fall to the pavement as Clark sped away, prosecutors said. Clark's mother, Mildred Burt, who tearfully pleaded with Fox to show her son mercy, was resigned to his fate after the sentencing. "What can we say?" Burt said. "We loved Leodis, and we still love Robert." The victim's siblings said they were pleased with the sentence. "I hope that Mr. Clark, while he's incarcerated, will often think of what he did to my brother," said Norwood's sister, Ruby Morris. [rc] mwalberg@tribune.com Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune