OCONTO – A 29-year-old man will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing his mother and her husband in 2022 outside their Little Suamico home.

Oconto County Circuit Court Judge Jay Conley sentenced David Steinmetz to two consecutive life sentences on Tuesday for the deaths of Lori Steinmetz, 55, and Paul Brennan, 75.

“You killed the two people that loved you the most,” Conley said, according to Fox 11. “This case gives new meaning to the expression ‘senseless offenses.’”

Conley ruled that Steinmetz will not get parole and is not eligible for extended supervision.

Additionally, Steinmetz was ordered to pay restitution of $23,011.11, while his total increases to $27,653.83 after surcharges and court costs are added.

Steinmetz, who pleaded no contest to the charges on Dec. 12, issued an apology before his sentence was given.

“I just want to say ‘I’m sorry’ to anybody that I affected with this senseless act of violence,” Steinmetz said, according to Fox 11. “Obviously, I wish I could take it back and I gotta live with the bad decisions I decided to make.”

According to the criminal complaint, a neighbor said she heard gunshots Oct. 1, 2022, but thought it was a paintball gun, and saw a young man in his mid-20s get into a vehicle and drive away. Another neighbor said she recognized the driver as David Steinmetz.

The following morning, a neighbor called dispatch after two dead bodies were found outside the residence.

Investigators, who had been tracking David Steinmetz’s vehicle as part of another investigation, said the GPS tracking device confirmed that Steinmetz’s car was at the residence between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.

Following Steinmetz’s arrest, officers found a rifle in his car that was of “similar caliber” of the ammunition cases found at the scene, the criminal complaint states.

Steinmetz later told investigators that he had been using meth and staying awake for extended periods of time, the longest of which was five days. He said he heard a voice that told him that he needed to take a life or his life would be taken. He said he also experienced feelings that if he didn’t kill his mom then someone was going to kill more of his family. “David stated it was like take out one life to save fifteen other lives,” the complaint states.

Steinmetz told investigators that these feelings continued to strengthen once he arrived at his home in the 1200 block of Melissa Boulevard and was greeted by his mom, Lori Steinmetz, while he sat in his car. Steinmetz said he then just “panicked,” got out of his car, and opened fire on both his mom and stepfather, Paul Brennan.

Steinmetz has been held at Dodge Correctional Institution in Waupun for about a year.

Contact Kevin Dittman at 920-431-8416 or kdittman@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Little Suamico murders lead to Steinmetz being sentenced to prison