A Lawrence pastor in his 70s who had a shotgun pointed in his face and was forced to the ground and robbed told his attacker on Thursday that he forgave him.

But at the same time, the Rev. Verdell Taylor Jr. joined two other victims and the prosecutor in asking for the maximum sentence for Pierre P. Walker, 20, of Kansas City, Kan.

“I will never be the same emotionally,” Taylor said, explaining that being victimized took away his previous sense of safety, security, well-being and “trust in most people.”

Douglas County District Court Judge Sally Pokorny did give Walker the maximum sentence allowed by law for his crimes, a total of 17 years in prison for three counts of aggravated robbery and one count of animal cruelty.

Pierre Walker

Walker — after two previous trials that ended in hung juries — was convicted in January of the June 6, 2016, crimes. Walker, along with two other men who were never charged, used a shotgun to rob Taylor and two other men who were out walking or jogging at different spots in southwest Lawrence around 5 a.m. that morning. Walker shot and killed one victim’s dog, Phoebe.

Walker has been jailed since his arrest in the weeks following the crime. The judge said his 426 days in jail would count toward his prison sentence.

Taylor, pastor of St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Church at 900 New York St., said he feared for his life during the robbery and that going through three jury trials as a witness was extremely difficult as well.

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” Taylor said, citing Scripture. “To Mr. Walker, I say, I forgive you for your part in the armed robberies, and I hope you will make meaningful changes in your life.”

Prosecutor Eve Kemple said the other two victims told her that after participating in the three trials, they had neither the desire nor the strength to face Walker again in court at sentencing. She read written statements from both — a Taco Bell manager who was attacked while walking to work and a University of Kansas researcher who was taking his dog for her morning walk — also describing ongoing fear and a lost sense of security after the robberies.

Jonathan Schuster wrote in his letter that when he adopted Phoebe, she was “thin and skittish” from being in an abusive home. He said the thing she loved best was going on walks and that she was happily walking, not even paying attention, when the robbers approached them and shot her.

“It was all so senseless,” Schuster wrote. “No one expects this sort of thing to happen in Lawrence.”

Walker’s appointed attorney, Michael Clarke, said even a sentence half as long already would “take a big chunk of his life away.” Clarke said Walker was not yet 20 when the crimes occurred and had expressed interest in participating in programs to work and learn a trade in prison.

Clarke indicated that he planned to appeal the case. As such, Walker did not make statements expressing remorse, as many defendants do at sentencing, but did choose to give a statement to the court.

Tearfully, Walker thanked the judge, the prosecutor and Clarke, all of whom he interacted with an above-average amount due to being incarcerated through three trials.

“You are all good people,” Walker told them. “Being around you all has really affected me.”

Walker said he had family who cared about him and for whom he was thankful, and he apologized to the victims for their difficulties.

“I’m not a bad person,” Walker said.

The judge echoed Kemple’s statement that there were not just one but three robbery victims, and said that Walker, while not necessarily a bad person, took “bad actions” for which justice must be served.