An 18-year-old Savannah man was sentenced to life in prison plus 40 years probation Monday for hitting a taxi driver about 15 times in the head with a hammer during an armed robbery.

Chatham County Superior Court Judge Penny Haas Freeseman said Raymond John Worthem's crimes were "horrific, calling the case "about as bad as it gets," according to the Savannah Morning News.

“This is not one of a juvenile who made bad choices,” she said.

A jury convicted Worthem, 18, on Jan. 13 on charges of criminal attempt to commit murder, aggravated battery, armed robbery, aggravated assault and hijacking a motor vehicle in the 2014 attack that left Gordon Nash wheelchair bound in a rehabilitation care center.

Nash, who also must wear a protective helmet, was unable to appear in court during trial to testify.

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