Laura Furlan's killer, Christopher Dunlop, sentenced to 13 years in prison
Confessed killer has been given 6.5 years credit for the time he's already served
Relief, closure and gratitude.
That's what Kathryn Furlan is feeling following the delivery of a 13 year sentence for her daughter's killer.
Christopher Dunlop strangled Laura Furlan and dumped her body in Fish Creek Park in 2009.
Today, her mother expressed her thanks to the police and prosecutors who were involved in Furlan's case.
"Laura is now in a safe place and her killer is going to prison; for me that's closure," said Kathryn Furlan.
With the credit for the time he's already spent behind bars, Christopher Dunlop has already served half of his sentence.
Dunlop pleaded guilty to manslaughter and indignity to a body in October.
The prosecution sought a sentence of 14 to 16 years, while Dunlop's lawyer proposed 12 years.
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"I think he's glad that it's over, it's been a long process," said Dunlop's lawyer, Kim Ross.
Dunlop admitted to picking Furlan up on Aug. 25, 2009, with the agreement he would pay her $100 in exchange for sex.
The 38-year-old had struggled with addictions but was overcoming those with "courage and a will to survive," according to her mother.
Missing for two weeks, Furlan's body was eventually found in Fish Creek Park.
After a lengthy undercover investigation, Dunlop confessed to strangling Furlan while he was having sex with her in his truck.
He was arrested three years after her death.
"It's a long road though I can't imagine what it must feel like for the family," said prosecutor Hyatt Mograbee.
"At the end of the day, these cases are never easy to deal with."
A forensic analysis of Dunlop's online history from the day she died found searches for "fingerprints on a dead body," "rates of decomposition," "methods for disposing a body using fire" and "DNA test for semen."
"I know that you regret your actions," said Justice Kristine Eidsvik in delivering the sentence. "I hope you can return to be a productive member of our society."
The judge also wished Furlan's family "peace" moving forward. That's something Kathryn Furlan finds through her grandson.
"She raised a beautiful son, a great gift to me."