Daniel Threadgill was sentenced March 28 to 40 years in prison for the brutal murder of Des Moines resident Jennifer Walstrand.

Threadgill, also called “Midas,” has continued to maintain his innocence.

He was convicted of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon. The jury also decided the murder was done with “deliberate cruelty.” The finding led King County Judge Cheryl Carey to give a sentence above the normal range of 20-27 years.

The jury heard testimony that Walstrand was stabbed more than 75 times and stomped so hard that her teeth were knocked out.

Prosecutors offered evidence that Threadgill, who didn’t know Walstrand, killed her because of a request by Araya McMillon, who lived next door to the victim. Prosecutors said McMillon, a prostitute, was upset at the amount of money Walstrand made as a high-end escort. McMillon also believed Walstrand had made remarks to her pimp that resulted in a beating and was instrumental in getting McMillon evicted from her Des Moines town house.

McMillon made a deal with prosecutors and testified against Threadgill. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to a second-degree murder charge.

Walstrand’s father, Bruce Walstrand, told the sentencing judge that his daughter was turning her life around at the time of the killing. He said she had given up streetwalking, kicked drug and alcohol addictions and was on her way to earning a business degree at Highline Community College in Des Moines.

The Seattle Times quoted Walstrand’s father as saying, “…She was doing great at Highline. Everybody loved Jennifer.

“Who knows what she could have done? She would’ve been great one day.”