RELATED: Jacksonville mom returns home from hospital after shooting that killed sister
A Jacksonville mother wants the death penalty for the man who police say shot her in the head and killed her sister in October.
“I can’t wait to see the look on (Chad Absher’s) face when they tell him he’s sentenced to death, because I don’t think he deserves to live another second,” Lisa Rucker said.
Absher pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges including murder and attempted murder. Absher was compelled by the court to allow them to swab his mouth for DNA evidence.
Lisa Rucker she is meeting with an attorney to discuss her legal options against Absher, independent of the criminal case.
She said she spends her days recovering from multiple surgeries while trying to stay strong for her son.
“I just don’t want the days to be sad," Rucker said. "Every single time I cry, my son, he comes to me and he says, ‘Mommy, I don’t want anything to happen to you.'"
She and her family say Absher abused her sister Ashlee Rucker before the double shooting.
Warrant: Jacksonville man shoots sisters in head after fight over car keys
She said she looks forward to the trial and to testifying against Absher.
“I can’t wait to look him in his face, so he knows he didn’t succeed in killing us both,” Lisa Rucker said.
She said she knows her testimony could keep Absher behind bars, and that would make her sister proud.
“I hope she’s looking down and seeing that everybody’s doing what they need to do to make sure that he goes to jail for a long time, that he gets what he deserves,” she said.
Action News Jax asked a state attorney's office spokesperson if prosecutors plans to seek the death penalty.
A spokesperson released a statement that said, in part: "The case would need to go through our office's Grand Jury Indictment Review Panel if we choose to pursue a first-degree murder charge. We wouldn't make a decision on the death penalty until that happens."
The spokesperson said the agency does not have a timetable for when that could happen.