By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Chad Erhardt, the brother of Tiffany Irene Ferris, said she saved his life and her loss has impacted the lives of those in his family.
Erhardt testified at Monday’s sentencing of Ajaylan Malik Shabazz, 26, convicted of murdering Ferris, a Decatur woman, in May of 2021. The Fort Wayne man received 63 years in prison from Allen Superior Judge David Zent.
He said he plans to appeal the sentencing.
Terry Smith Jr., 36, was initially charged with murder but pleaded guilty in April to aggravated battery in exchange for his testimony in Shabazz’s trial.
Smith was sentenced in February to 12 years in prison.
According to a Journal Gazette story by Maya Wilkins, Deputy Prosecutor Tesa Helge called Ferris’ murder a “brutal, merciless killing. She didn’t do anything wrong. It was completely unprovoked.”
“She didn’t deserve the ending she got,” Erhardt said.
Erhardt called Ferris creative, smart and beautiful, and he said she would be friends with anybody.
He also pointed out that her two children will grow up without their mom.
Destiny Erhardt, Ferris’ sister-in-law, also spoke at Monday’s sentencing, according to the Wilkins story.
She said the last few years have been difficult for their family, and no one will ever fully know what happened to Ferris the night she was murdered.
Ferris had trauma and addiction in her life, Destiny Erhardt said, but that doesn’t mean she deserved to die.
Ferris, who attended Norwell High School, was 35 years old. Her body was found in a bathtub in the motel.