A Chicago man convicted in the savage beating of a Northern Irish exchange student, which left her unable to walk or speak, was sentenced to 90 years in prison today. Minutes before Heriberto Viramontes learned his fate Thursday, a prosecutor displayed the bat used to assault exchange student Natasha McShane and her friend Stacy Jurich as they walked home on a spring evening. The 2010 attack left McShane with severe brain damage. Scroll down for video . Vindicated: Heriberto Viramontes (left) was sentenced to 90 years in prison for the April 2010 baseball bat attack on Irish exchange student Natasha McShane (right) and her college friend . The Chicago Sun-Times cites Judge Jorge Alonso saying at Thursday's hearing that hatred and greed motivated the 34-year-old Viramontes. Earlier, Ms Jurich said the evening of the attack had gone from one of joy to her suddenly being on her knees, dripping with blood. 'Their only sin was thinking it was safe to walk four or five blocks in the city of Chicago,' Judge Alonso said of the two victims, according to Chicago Tribune. Before the sentencing, the court heard from McShane's mother, Sheila, who had traveled from Northern Ireland for the occasion. Stacy Jurich also offered her impact statement, and the attacker's family were given a chance to speak as well. Liam and Sheila McShane, parents of beating victim Natasha McShane, walk to the courtroom before Cook County Judge Jorge Alonso sentenced their daughter's attacker, Heriberto Viramontes, to 90-years in prison Thursday . Staying strong: Stacy Jurich, right, walks to the courtroom with her unidentified fiance . Calling Viramontes 'a cowardly, evil being,' Jurich revealed that she still suffers seizures and cannot drive or ride a bike. 'I wish the sounds of the bat breaking my head open would go away, but they never will,' she said from the witness stand. Sheila McShane said her daughter requires around-the-clock care, has speech and physical therapy sessions five days a week and cannot say more than four words at a time. She relies on a picture book featuring images of different objects to communicate. 'She is still alive, but it feels as if we lost her and that's a scar that will never heal,' said Mrs McShane. 'As Natasha's parents, we feel as if we are rearing our 27-year-old daughter all over again.' She added, 'One thing is for certain: Natasha will have a life sentence of her own. A life sentence of pain, misery and unfulfillment,' reported NBC Chicago. When given a chance to say a few words, the defendant expressed hope that his sentencing would start a 'healing process' for the victims and their loved ones. ‘I could never understand the pain that [they] have experienced,’ he said. Update: Sheila McShane said her daughter requires 24-hour care and is forced to rely on a picture book to communicate . Emotional moment: Stacy Jurich broke down saying she still has seizures and cannot get out of her mind the sound of the bat breaking her head . The 35-year-old criminal kept his head bowed for most of the proceedings, but broke down in tears when his sister took the stand talking about their tough family history, and she insisted that her brother was 'not a monster.' Assistant State’s Attorney John Maher argued for a 120-year sentence, telling Judge Alonso that Viramontes 'literally turned Natasha McShane into a ghost.' Mr Viramontes will serve 85 per cent of the sentence, which amounts to about 77 years, behind bars. In the early morning hours of April 23, 2010, Jurich and McShane were walking home in the Bucktown section of Chicago after a night out when a man savagely bludgeoned them as they passed under a viaduct. Miss Jurich needed more than 15 stitches in the back of her head, lost some of her vision and suffers from tremors. Her 23-year-old friend, Miss McShane, was left unable to walk or talk. Survivor: Stacy Jurich stands at the entrance to the viaduct where she and her friend Natasha McShane were brutally attacked in 2010 . Their attacker stole the girls' purses and Miss Jurich remembered thinking that no one would know who they were, just before she lost consciousness. Miss Jurich told the Chicago Tribune that it was while she was still in hospital that she realized she was the only one who could help bring their attacker to justice. A few days after the attack, detectives visited her in the hospital and asked her to identify items they had found. It was perfume and makeup the friends had bought the day before the attack. The sight of their belongings reduced Miss Jurich to tears, but she told the Chicago Tribune it made her think: 'This is on your plate now. You are the only voice.' For the . past four years, Ms Jurich has worked tirelessly with police to ensure . their attacker, Heriberto Viramontes, would be brought to justice. In October, Viramontes was found guilty of . attempted murder, armed robbery and aggravated robber.y . Painful memories: Stacy stands close to where she and Natasha were attacked. Four years after their ordeal she can still recall seeing her friend being smashed to the ground . Brave: Stacy Jurich, center, leaves a courtroom during her attacker's trial last year . Marcy Cruz, a stripper who drove him away from the crime scene, has already been sentenced to 22 years in prison. When she faced Viramontes at the trial last year, Miss Jurich, 28, told the court: 'I had to be the voice because I didn't want this man to hurt anyone else. I wanted to put [Viramontes] away for my best friend, for Natasha.' High profile: The attack that left Natasha, pictured, disabled was used to highlight the increased violence in Chicago . Healing: Four years after the attack Stacy, pictured with her fiance Tim Shannon, is getting her life back on track . On the night she was left disabled for life, Miss McShane had just been offered an internship that would have allowed her to extend her visa in the U.S. Instead, her family flew her back to Northern Ireland, where she struggles to accomplish even the smallest of tasks, like drinking from a cup. Miss Jurich said she is haunted by feelings of guilt. When she got engaged and got a job, she felt sad knowing her friend would never share those experiences. To pay tribute to her friend, and as a reminder of the attack that changed both of their lives forever, Miss Jurich designed a tattoo, featuring two roses to represent the friends, and an Irish cross to represent Miss McShane's home country.
Heriberto Viramontes, 35, said in court he hopes his sentencing will help his victims heal .
The April 2010 attack in Chicago left Natasha McShane with debilitating injuries and her friend Stacy Jurich with seizures .
McShane's mother traveled from Northern Ireland for the sentencing, saying in court her daughter uses picture book to communicate .
Jurich, 28, testified that she cannot get the sound of the baseball bat cracking her head open out of her mind four years later .
Viramontes' sister insisted her brother was 'not a monster'
A Chicago man convicted in the savage beating of a Northern Irish exchange student, which left her unable to walk or speak, was sentenced to 90 years in prison today. Minutes before Heriberto Viramontes learned his fate Thursday, a prosecutor displayed the bat used to assault exchange student Natasha McShane and her friend Stacy Jurich as they walked home on a spring evening. The 2010 attack left McShane with severe brain damage. Scroll down for video . Vindicated: Heriberto Viramontes (left) was sentenced to 90 years in prison for the April 2010 baseball bat attack on Irish exchange student Natasha McShane (right) and her college friend . The Chicago Sun-Times cites Judge Jorge Alonso saying at Thursday's hearing that hatred and greed motivated the 34-year-old Viramontes. Earlier, Ms Jurich said the evening of the attack had gone from one of joy to her suddenly being on her knees, dripping with blood. 'Their only sin was thinking it was safe to walk four or five blocks in the city of Chicago,' Judge Alonso said of the two victims, according to Chicago Tribune. Before the sentencing, the court heard from McShane's mother, Sheila, who had traveled from Northern Ireland for the occasion. Stacy Jurich also offered her impact statement, and the attacker's family were given a chance to speak as well. Liam and Sheila McShane, parents of beating victim Natasha McShane, walk to the courtroom before Cook County Judge Jorge Alonso sentenced their daughter's attacker, Heriberto Viramontes, to 90-years in prison Thursday . Staying strong: Stacy Jurich, right, walks to the courtroom with her unidentified fiance . Calling Viramontes 'a cowardly, evil being,' Jurich revealed that she still suffers seizures and cannot drive or ride a bike. 'I wish the sounds of the bat breaking my head open would go away, but they never will,' she said from the witness stand. Sheila McShane said her daughter requires around-the-clock care, has speech and physical therapy sessions five days a week and cannot say more than four words at a time. She relies on a picture book featuring images of different objects to communicate. 'She is still alive, but it feels as if we lost her and that's a scar that will never heal,' said Mrs McShane. 'As Natasha's parents, we feel as if we are rearing our 27-year-old daughter all over again.' She added, 'One thing is for certain: Natasha will have a life sentence of her own. A life sentence of pain, misery and unfulfillment,' reported NBC Chicago. When given a chance to say a few words, the defendant expressed hope that his sentencing would start a 'healing process' for the victims and their loved ones. ‘I could never understand the pain that [they] have experienced,’ he said. Update: Sheila McShane said her daughter requires 24-hour care and is forced to rely on a picture book to communicate . Emotional moment: Stacy Jurich broke down saying she still has seizures and cannot get out of her mind the sound of the bat breaking her head . The 35-year-old criminal kept his head bowed for most of the proceedings, but broke down in tears when his sister took the stand talking about their tough family history, and she insisted that her brother was 'not a monster.' Assistant State’s Attorney John Maher argued for a 120-year sentence, telling Judge Alonso that Viramontes 'literally turned Natasha McShane into a ghost.' Mr Viramontes will serve 85 per cent of the sentence, which amounts to about 77 years, behind bars. In the early morning hours of April 23, 2010, Jurich and McShane were walking home in the Bucktown section of Chicago after a night out when a man savagely bludgeoned them as they passed under a viaduct. Miss Jurich needed more than 15 stitches in the back of her head, lost some of her vision and suffers from tremors. Her 23-year-old friend, Miss McShane, was left unable to walk or talk. Survivor: Stacy Jurich stands at the entrance to the viaduct where she and her friend Natasha McShane were brutally attacked in 2010 . Their attacker stole the girls' purses and Miss Jurich remembered thinking that no one would know who they were, just before she lost consciousness. Miss Jurich told the Chicago Tribune that it was while she was still in hospital that she realized she was the only one who could help bring their attacker to justice. A few days after the attack, detectives visited her in the hospital and asked her to identify items they had found. It was perfume and makeup the friends had bought the day before the attack. The sight of their belongings reduced Miss Jurich to tears, but she told the Chicago Tribune it made her think: 'This is on your plate now. You are the only voice.' For the . past four years, Ms Jurich has worked tirelessly with police to ensure . their attacker, Heriberto Viramontes, would be brought to justice. In October, Viramontes was found guilty of . attempted murder, armed robbery and aggravated robber.y . Painful memories: Stacy stands close to where she and Natasha were attacked. Four years after their ordeal she can still recall seeing her friend being smashed to the ground . Brave: Stacy Jurich, center, leaves a courtroom during her attacker's trial last year . Marcy Cruz, a stripper who drove him away from the crime scene, has already been sentenced to 22 years in prison. When she faced Viramontes at the trial last year, Miss Jurich, 28, told the court: 'I had to be the voice because I didn't want this man to hurt anyone else. I wanted to put [Viramontes] away for my best friend, for Natasha.' High profile: The attack that left Natasha, pictured, disabled was used to highlight the increased violence in Chicago . Healing: Four years after the attack Stacy, pictured with her fiance Tim Shannon, is getting her life back on track . On the night she was left disabled for life, Miss McShane had just been offered an internship that would have allowed her to extend her visa in the U.S. Instead, her family flew her back to Northern Ireland, where she struggles to accomplish even the smallest of tasks, like drinking from a cup. Miss Jurich said she is haunted by feelings of guilt. When she got engaged and got a job, she felt sad knowing her friend would never share those experiences. To pay tribute to her friend, and as a reminder of the attack that changed both of their lives forever, Miss Jurich designed a tattoo, featuring two roses to represent the friends, and an Irish cross to represent Miss McShane's home country.
exchange student Natasha McShane and her friend evening. The 2010 attack left McShane with severe years in prison for the April 2010 baseball bat the sentencing, the court heard from McShane's mother, Sheila, who had traveled from Northern Ireland for the occasion. Stacy Jurich also daughter's attacker, Heriberto Viramontes, to said her daughter requires around-the-clock care, forced to rely on a picture book to communicate . she still has seizures and cannot get out of her mind the sound of the bat breaking her head . The brother was 'not a monster.' Assistant State’s