No parole for 50 years for double murderer Emanuel Kahsai whose 'torture' of mother began a decade ago

Emanuel Kahsai's emotional "torture" of his mother began a decade before he killed her and another woman, according to Selma Alem's best friend. She spoke Thursdayjust before the murdererwas sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 50years.

Last week, a jury convictedKahsai, 32, of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his mother, SelmaAlem, 54, and Julie Tran, 25.

"You tortured my Selma for years ... blaming her for all your mistakes," said the mother's closest friend, Susan Hills.

"You made her life a total hell for 10 years after Mike died."

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After the 2005 murder of his brother Mike, Emanuel Kahsai began to spiral, said Hills.

A friend of Mike's whodidn't want her name publishedagreed with Hills. She said it was at that point that Kahsaiallowed "drugs and rage" to take over his life.

That friend became close with Alem after Mike's death: "I came to see Selma as my second mom; I remember her numerous times [saying] I was the daughter she never had."

"I knew instantly you were responsible my only hope is one day you will feel remorse for taking away such beautiful souls."

Justice Glen Poelmannoted there was "no shadow of an explanation" for Kahsai's"savage act of destruction."

Alemacted as a "supportive roommate" to Tran, who functioned as a 13-year-old because of FASD(fetal alcohol spectrum disorder) and was particularly vulnerable.

"Julie Tran was not collateral damage ... we know she was particularly vulnerable," said Poelman. "Hediscarded her life with the same brutality with that of his mother."

Kahsai faked psychotic illness

Throughout his three-week jury trial,Kahsaipretended to have a psychotic illness in order to derail the proceedings.

The victims were stabbed to death inAlem'shome in October 2015.Kahsaihad recently threatened to kill his mother.

She had twice sought court-ordered protection restraining orders against her son in the weeks and months before her death.

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Kahsai, who represented himself after firing his lawyer, watchedand listenedto the trial from a remote room where his microphone had to be mutedbecause of frequent outbursts.

He would shout at the judge and jurors about various conspiracy theories, yelling for them to call the U.S. Army and FBI behaviour which continued at the sentencing hearing on Thursday.

Reports preparedby psychiatrists and psychologists before the trial found Kahsai was faking a mental illness in order to escape criminal liability.

The victims were stabbed to death; their blood was found on Kahsai'sshoes when he was arrested hours after the bodies were discovered.

A first-degree murder conviction comes with an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years, but prosecutors Todd Buziakand Matt Dalidowicz argued for consecutive parole ineligibility periods of 50 years for the double murder.