Boss-Killer Sentenced To 45 Years

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Jun 12, 2009 9:45PM

Tom Tuduj, who was convicted in January of killing his boss, Gary Poter, was sentenced today to 45 years in prison. The murder happened in 2006. Prosecutors alleged Tuduj was enraged over a poor work review and pay reduction by Poter, though Tuduj claimed a toxic mix of medications caused him mental issues. Tuduj was also convicted of attempted disarmament of a police officer because he tried to grab an officer's gun while in police custody.

Cook County Judge Jorge Alonso gave Tuduj his sentence after hearing from Poter's surviving family members and even Tuduj himself. Tuduj apologized, continuing to blame depression and the toxic mix for the violent outburst in which he stabbed Poter to death, saying, "I am so sorry for what happened." Alonso responded, "I don't think anyone used the words 'sorry' more and not have remorse." Poter's three children - Jessica, 22, Cameron, 20 and Jeremy, 14 - and widow Karen also talked about their father before Tuduj was sentenced. [Sun-Times]