The Anderson mother whose two sons were convicted last month of first-degree murder in the 2004 death of a former Cottonwood man was sentenced Wednesday to three years in state prison for her role in the murder of Christopher Robert Hoff-McAuliffe.

Catherine Elaine Tuschen, who was immediately handcuffed and taken into custody, was sentenced by Shasta County Superior Court Judge Stephen Baker after a two-hour hearing that saw tearful members of the victim's family voice raw sorrow for their loss.

Still, it was clear that Hoff-McAuliffe's family believed she deserved much more than three years for the central role she played in his violent death. They said the emotional wounds they suffered will never be healed.

Tuschen, who kept her head slightly bowed as Hoff-McAuliffe's family read so-called victim impact statements, is the 47-year-old mother of convicted killers Robert Lee Stayer, 26, and Timothy Thomas Stayer, 27, both of Anderson. Her sons are scheduled to be sentenced Friday to life in prison without parole for the Nov. 21, 2004, beating and stomping death of Hoff-McAuliffe.

Last month, a Shasta County jury agreed with prosecution claims that Hoff-McAuliffe was badly beaten, drenched with insecticide and stomped upon before he was left to die at an Anderson River Park boat ramp after Timothy Stayer found his mother having sex with the man at their Driftstone Drive home.

Although Tuschen's attorney, Rolland Papendick of Red Bluff, sought probation for his client, Baker, citing what he thought were aggravating factors that justified the three-year prison sentence, said he thought she was a "ringleader" in directing the destruction of evidence to try to cover up the crime.

Additionally, Baker said, Tuschen's behavior at the time of the murder and afterward showed to him that she lacked true remorse and that much of her testimony on the witness stand during her sons' trial was "unresponsive, evasive and untruthful."

Tuschen, who must serve at least 50 percent of her sentence before being eligible for parole, will be on parole for three years following her release from prison, said Shasta County Assistant District Attorney Dan Flynn.

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