DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines man has been sentenced to up to 50 years in prison for the 2024 stabbing of his girlfriend.

On Friday, Walter King Bickham, 59, received 50 years in prison for the stabbing of his girlfriend Suzette Gums in 2024. Bickham had been found guilty of second-degree murder on July 31.

Polk County District Judge Joseph Seidlin denied Bickhams request for a retrial after finding significant evidence to support the jury’s decision. “This was a senseless tragedy, a senseless act, and it results in a sentence that is severe,” he said.

Gums two sisters gave victim impact statements saying, “What you did to her is unforgivable,” Elizabeth Martinez said. “You deserve everything you get today.”

“You were supposed to be someone who cared for her. Instead, you were the one who ended her,” Lori Huenefeld wrote to the defendant in a statement delivered by her daughter. “You may have taken her life, but you will not take her memory. She will be with us, always.”

Bickham must serve at least 35 years in prison before being eligible for parole and will pay $150,000 in restitution to the Gums estate.