CLEVELAND -- A Cleveland man accused of killing four people pleaded guilty in all cases Monday was sentenced to life behind bars with parole eligibility after 30 years Tuesday.
Robert Rembert Jr., 48, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated murder and two counts of voluntary manslaughter. He had originally been indicted back in 2015.
He faced a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He'll still have to serve an additional 10 years following the 20 years for parole eligibility.
Rembert apologized to his victims' relatives in the courtroom prior to his sentencing.
“There’s nothing I could possibly say to change what happened, what I did," he said. "All I can say is that I’m sorry and hope that you’ll just pray for me. I’m sorry.”
Rembert, who had already served six years in prison for the December 1997 killing of Darden Lewis in a Cleveland parking lot, also strangled and beat Rena Mae Payne to death in May of that same year. 18 years later, three more people died at the hands of Rembert.
In June of 2015, the body of 31-year-old Kimberley D. Hall, of Cleveland, was found near an open field at E. 83rd Street and Gill Avenue by two passing workers. She had been strangled, beaten, and raped in a similar fashion as Payne, and DNA on her body matched Rembert, according to authorities.
Three months later, 26-year-old Morgan Nietzel and 52-year-old Jerry Rembert (Robert's cousin) were both fatally shot in the head in their home on E.140th Street. Rembert had been living with them at the time and was arrested the next day.
Nietzel's parents made an emotional statement before the court.
"It’s not just the pain he caused, but the loss of our daughter," her father said. "We’ve got a 6-year-old grandson that wants to kill himself to be by his mother."
Rembert could have faced the death penalty for his crimes, but prosecutors decided earlier this year to take that off of the table.
"I’ll be at every parole hearing and make sure he never sees the light of day again," Nietzel's father added.