Man who fatally beat mom with hammer gets life term

CLEVELAND (AP) — A man who admitted beating his mother to death with a hammer last summer has been sentenced to life in prison

Anthony Coughlin, 48, of Cleveland, was sentenced Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to murder, domestic violence, grand theft, gross abuse of a corpse, and vandalism. He must serve 17 years before he becomes eligible for parole.

Coughlin admitted bludgeoning 71-year-old Joyce Coughlin with a hammer inside her home on Aug. 16, then hiding her body in a bedroom closet before stealing her vehicle. He did this nine months after being released from prison for slitting his girlfriend’s throat, authorities said.

Cleveland police found Joyce Coughlin’s body two days after she was killed. They connected her son to the crime after they found his DNA on the murder weapon, and he was arrested the same day the body was found.