CREVE COEUR, Mo. — Beau Rothwell has been sentenced to life in prison without parole in the 2019 death of his pregnant wife.
He was also sentenced to four years for tampering with evidence and both of these sentences will be served at the same time.
The judge also handed down an additional 4 years for abandonment of a corpse, which Rothwell will serve following the first two counts.
Rothwell, a Creve Coeur man, was convicted earlier this year of killing his pregnant wife, Jennifer, in November 2019.
St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said this sentence is the outcome they were hoping for.
"We issued this case of murder first and as was stated in sentencing today, we never made any other offers. That was not an option. We felt that this individual needed to be held accountable for his actions and that’s what we were intent on doing," Bell said.
Rothwell made a statement during sentencing, “To Jennifer’s family, words cannot describe how sorry I am. This should have never happened.”
St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Gregory said he applauds the officers and prosecutors that work on this case to get justice for Jennifer.
"A life was cut short. In the case with this young lady that’s exactly what happened. This death took a lot from that family," Chief Gregory said.
Jennifer's mother, Robin Von Hausen, spoke in a tearful statement via video call.
"Jennifer was a bright light in our lives," Von Hausen said. "We thought we would have more than 28 years with her. Gone are the moments of joy with friends and relatives.”
Bell empathized with the grieving family.
“Some of the things that Jennifer’s mom said really hit home with me. You know the fact that Jennifer will never get to hold her child. Something we share in common, we are both Game of Thrones fans. I am waiting for that last book too, she mentioned that. I just think it is hard when you lose loved ones so I can only imagine what they are going through,” Bell said.
Jennifer Rothwell had looked up “what to do if your husband is upset you are pregnant" on her cellphone before she was killed, search warrants revealed in 2019.
"There’s certain relationships that are supposed to be sources of comfort and security and someone should certainly feel safe with their husband of all people and so it’s a tragedy when anyone loses their life but in this manner obviously it’s a little different," Bell said.
Beau Rothwell tried to cover up evidence in their home and dumped her body 45 minutes away from their home in Lincoln County. Days later, he confessed to police.
Rothwell was tried in front of a jury earlier this year. He was found guilty of first-degree murder.
The state argued Beau Rothwell thought of killing Jennifer Rothwell as a way out of his marriage for months. Beau's defense team said it was a crime of passion that happened during an argument over an affair.
In the end, the jury sided with the prosecution.
Bell and Gregory said they hope now the family has closure.
"We know we can’t bring Jennifer back or her child and so as far as our roles are concerned we wanted to be able to bring justice and closure," Bell said.
Resources for those experiencing domestic violence
If you or someone you know needs help, you can call the Safe Connections Crisis Helpline at 314-531-2003. You can also text that number from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, free of charge. https://safeconnections.org/
Alternatives to Living In Violent Environments (ALIVE) also has a crisis line at 314-993-2777 and they have a number for Franklin County at 800-941-9144. https://alivestl.org/
The Women's Safe House can be reached 24 hours a day at 314-772-4535. https://twsh.org/
