The Dover man convicted of the rape and murder of 19-year-old UNH student Elizabeth “Lizzi” Marriott was sentenced to life in prison Thursday at the Strafford County Courthouse.
Seth Mazzaglia was shackled and dressed in green jail garb, his expression inscrutable, as 13 of Marriott’s loved ones conveyed their grief.
“I want you to know, unequivocably, that I hate you,” Lizzi’s mother Melissa Marriott told Mazzaglia.
Marriott’s uncle, Tony Hanna, also vented his anger at Mazzaglia. "You live your life in fantasy, darkness and control. Now the justice of the world has you,” Hanna said. “You will live your life and your days in the dim light you relished. You’ll never be a free man to shed your wickedness on others."
Many also took time to remember Marriott’s generosity and warmth. Loved ones sported blue heart-shaped stickers featuring a pink octopus – a symbol of Marriott’s love of sea creatures and her ambitions in Marine Biology.
Marriott’s girlfriend, Brittany Atwood, told the courtroom, “Lizzi was, still is and always will be the most amazing, wonderful, beautiful, and talented person, friend and girlfriend in the whole entire world. I mean universe. Those are pretty much the last words I texted her that horrific night. I just hope to God that she saw it.
“No one will ever compare to her,” Atwood told Mazzaglia. “I can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t think. My life has been filled with tears and sleepless nights.”
Given an opportunity to speak, Mazzaglia maintained his innocence, insisting "I did not rape and murder Elizabeth Marriot."
"However," he said, "I do understand the Marriott family’s pain."
On Tuesday, Mazzaglia’s lawyers argued that Mazzaglia had the right not to be present for the sentencing. However, Mazzaglia withdrew his motion nearly an hour after that court appearance.
Judge Steven Houran told Mazzaglia on Thursday he would serve his sentence without the possibility of parole. Mazzaglia must also pay $4,000 in penalties for each count of conspiracy, as well as restitution to Marriott’s family, including as much as $15,000 for the family's forthcoming funeral expenses.
