Man sentenced for killing brother, sister-in-law

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – A judge has sentenced a northern Indiana man to two life sentences without parole for the shooting deaths of his brother and sister-in-law.

Forty-four-year-old Steven Clippinger of St. Joseph County was sentenced Monday after being convicted in October of two counts of murder. In addition to the consecutive life sentences, he also was sentenced to a third consecutive term of 20 years for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Clippinger was charged with killing Matthew and Lisa Clippinger at their Mishawaka home in 2012.

Clippinger acknowledged he was responsible for Lisa Clippinger’s death, but has maintained his former girlfriend pulled the trigger in his brother’s slaying. He told St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Jerome Frese his conscience was clear and that he wasn’t responsible for his brother’s death.