Posted at: 10/01/2012 7:03 PM
By: Laura Lee

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Thornton Sentenced in Severe Beating of Joe Gieke

(ABC 6 NEWS) -- It's been  more than 3 and a half years since an RCTC football player was beaten so badly,  he has permanent brain damage and can no longer live on his own.

Monday, the second suspect charged in the assault was sentenced in court.

It was an emotional day in court as Joe Geikes family read victim impact statements, talking about how this assault has given Joe a life sentence.

He lives with severe brain damage, is now legally blind,  and can not live on his own.  In court, his mother asked for justice.

A judge sentenced Ricardo Thornton to 270 days in jail, with credit for 18 days served.  He was also given 90 months of probation and ordered to pay nearly $120,000 dollars in restitution.

But Joe's mother the sentence wasn't enough, because her son will never have the same freedoms again.

The other suspect in this case, Howard Risher, also plead guilty to  the assault and was sentenced to 6 months in jail and 20 years of probation.