"You took this life in an act seemingly motivated by nothing other than whimsy," Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Daniel FitzGerald said in making his ruling Wednesday. "I don't even think you understand the basic notion of mercy, so you'll get none from me -- 25 to life."
Cancel, a 24-year-old homeless man, was convicted in November of murdering 19-year-old Pace University student Kevin Pravia.
Screen Gems / Courtesy Everett Collection
Jeromie Cancel reportedly said he watched the horror movie "Hostel," above, after killing a New York City college student in 2008. Convicted in November, he was sentenced to 25 years to life on Wednesday.
According to Cancel, a drunken Pravia invited him up to his Chelsea apartment on Aug. 30, 2008, after they befriended each other in Union Square. When Pravia fell asleep, Cancel said he gathered some of the student's belongings and then decided strangle him with an electrical cord.
Pravia's roommate, Josephine Madonna, found her friend's body hidden under a blanket when she returned to the apartment the following day.
"When I removed the blanket, I was left with an image that has never left me," Madonna testified in court.
Cancel, a mentally troubled drifter who was estranged from his Queens, N.Y., family, later confessed to killing Pravia out of boredom. He said he watched the horror movie "Hostel" after the murder, the New York Daily News reported.
Following his arrest, Cancel shouted to reporters, telling them he murdered Pravia "because I wanted to!," according to the New York Post. "You got a problem with that?"
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Cancel showed no remorse and smirked as the sentencing ruling was read in court. Afterward, he applauded the judge, inciting Pravia's emotional family members, who were seated in the courtroom gallery."I'll f---ing kill you ... I'll end you," Pravia's younger brother, Michael, yelled as he jumped to his feet, the Daily Mail reported.
Cancel laughed at the outburst and shouted back, "See me in Rikers," -- a reference to New York City's main jail complex.
"I'll see you in hell," shouted the victim's father, Kevin Pravia.
Cancel will have to serve a minimum of 25 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.