'Tell Us Why': Family confronts killer of Cherry Hill veterinarian Dr. Michael Anthony

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (WPVI) -- A man who admitted to killing a Cherry Hill, New Jersey, veterinarian was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in prison, as the victim's family confronted him directly for the first time.

Loved ones of Dr. Michael Anthony, 45, addressed Cristian Custodio-Aquino in court before the judge handed down the sentence.

The family requested that their faces not be filmed during the proceedings. Anthony's siblings and teenage sons spoke, some directing their remarks at the defendant.

"You have 30 years, but that is not enough time in prison for a soul so blackened and evil as yours," said Peter Anthony, the victim's brother. "But nevertheless, if during those 30 years you find a tiny piece of kindness buried deep within, I ask this of you: Tell us why. Tell us why you decided to take Michael away from us."

Anthony's son Henry told Custodio-Aquino, "I hope as your time in prison drags on, your last meaningless semblance of hope fades away as you realize you've made no impact on this world."

Anthony was found stabbed to death in the front yard of his Cherry Hill home around 7 a.m. in December 2024.

Two months later, investigators arrested 27-year-old Custodio-Aquino in California after uncovering evidence linking him to the killing, including DNA found at the scene.

Prosecutors said during a hearing last year that Anthony had been dating Custodio-Aquino's ex-boyfriend, which may have motivated the attack. Custodio-Aquino, who had been living in Portland, Oregon, at the time of the killing, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in June.

In court Thursday, Anthony's sister Patricia Anthony Gershefski said, "I cannot escape the thought of Michael's final moments. The fact that he was frightened, confused, alone, and suffering is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life."

Custodio-Aquino showed no emotion during the hearing. When given the chance to speak, he thanked the judge for allowing the family to share their statements and said, "I do agree that the world is less than without Michael Anthony."

All four of Anthony's siblings, his significant other, both of his sons, and their mother submitted statements, some of which were read aloud by the prosecutor if the family member wasn't present.

Their remarks centered on the same theme: Anthony was deeply loved and unfairly taken from them.

"I hope he will be remembered not for the violent way in which he died, but for the vibrant, joyful, and loving way in which he lived," Gershefski said.