CANTON, SD (KELO) — The man who abducted a woman from a Sioux Falls Wal-Mart before killing her will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
A judge on Wednesday sentenced Amir Beaudion, Jr. to life in prison without parole for the death of Pasqalina Badi in January of 2020.
Sama Badi broke down during the sentencing hearing while talking about how the death of her older sister Pasqalina has affected her family… more than five years later.
“I think it’s been incredibly stressful on the family. As you heard, the sister’s testimony today, Pasqalina was a very dear and loved member of the community. Described by all as a bright light in the community and the family,” Lincoln County State’s Attorney Tom Wollman said.
Sioux Falls police testified they used a combination of cell phone data, surveillance video and traffic cameras to track Amir Beaudion’s movements on January 5th, 20-20.
Investigators say he ducked behind parked vehicles in the 10th Street Walmart parking lot in a “predatory” manner before getting into a car Badi was driving.
Police say Beaudoin then withdrew money at an ATM from Badi’s bank account before he drove to an area west of Harrisburg. That’s where prosecutors say he strangled and beat Badi and left her for dead in a snowbank along the road.
Beaudion, who’s a native of Louisiana, told the judge, “I’m not a bad person. I’m not an evil person,” and that he came to Sioux Falls “to better himself.”
Beaudion’s attorney’s asked that he be eligible for parole as part of his sentencing. But the judge denied a chance at parole saying that he had “a slim chance for rehabilitation.”
Wednesday’s hearing doesn’t end Beaudion’s journey through the legal system. Next week, he’s scheduled to be sentenced in Minnehaha County for an attempted abduction of a shopper in a Sioux Falls Hy-Vee parking lot, just days before Badi’s death.
