Vincent Lovelace Lowe was not in court to hear Tuesday’s life sentence issued by Judge Thomas Sport. The convicted murderer waived his right to attend the proceedings.

A jury found Lowe guilty of the 2013 murder of Albert Lee last month. During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, District Attorney Charlotte Tesmer requested a life sentence for Lowe and Sport heard from Lee’s family before he ruled.

“The family was pleased with the sentence,” Tesmer said.

Last month’s murder trial got off to a rocky start. Unsatisfied with his court-appointed attorney, Lowe interrupted proceedings to say he would represent himself.

The interruption came during District Attorney Charlotte Tesmer’s questioning of Lowe’s former roommate, an alleged witness of the shooting.

“I’ll take over from here,” Lowe said, standing up.

Lowe’s family members also reacted to the testimony. His mother and sister had to be removed from the courtroom and were charged with contempt of court, after failing to heed Sport’s warnings to remain quiet.

During the testimony of a forensic expert, Lowe asked his attorney to handle the questioning and chose not to represent himself during the rest of the trial.

Authorities say Lee was shot in the head after an alleged argument over drugs and money. He was killed near the intersection of Hwy. 97 and Upper Bozeman Road, which is near the Davenport community.

Lowe was charged with the murder Dec. 5, 2013.

During his trial, Lowe claimed the shooting was in self-defense.