Memphis police officer Sean Bolton’s killer, Tremaine Wilbourn, will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Wilbourn, 32, received his sentence Tuesday after a nine-day capital murder trial for shooting and killing Bolton in 2015.

The verdict was returned after two hours of deliberation during the sentencing hearing in which 12 jurors – seven men and five women – decided Wilbourn will never be freed from prison for killing Bolton on Aug. 1, 2015, in Parkway Village.

Bolton was on patrol in the 4800 block of Summerlane Avenue when he saw a 2002 Mercedes parked on the wrong side of the street. He investigated and shone his spotlight on the car. When the light hit the car, the driver jumped out and ran.

Wilbourn, who was a passenger, stayed behind, but when Bolton went to pull him out of the car, the two struggled. Wilbourn pushed the officer and took out a 9mm gun and shot the officer eight times, including once in the face.

Wilbourn fled, carjacked a man nearby and was on the run for two days before he turned himself in to U.S. Marshals.

On Sunday, the jury convicted Wilbourn of first-degree murder in the officer’s death. Before the sentencing hearing began, the state offered Wilbourn a deal that if he dropped his appeal of his charges in federal court, they would offer him life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The defendant accepted the offer, but the officer’s family rejected the deal, wanting the jury to instead decide his fate of life in prison with parole, life in prison without parole or the death penalty.

Wilbourn kicked out of court for outburst

Wilbourn was not present in court when his sentence was handed down shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday. He had been kicked out of court earlier in the day after erupting when Shelby County prosecutor Alanda Dwyer called him a "coward" during her closing arguments.

“Look at the face of somebody that is filled with hatred,” Dwyer told the jurors. “Look at the face of a coward.”

Wilbourn cursed at Dwyer and said, “Y'all get this woman outta of my face.” He then stood up, telling the judge, “She called me a coward.”

Judge Lee Coffee and Wilbourn’s legal team urged him to calm down, but he would not.

When the judge told him he would be barred from court, Wilbourn said he didn’t care and didn’t want to stay. The deputies then led the 32-year-old out of the courtroom as he muttered “white folks” and “dummies” on his way out the door.

Tremaine Wilbourn got kicked out of court when he got upset after prosecutor called him a coward for shooting Officer Bolton. He cursed and told the judge he didnt wNt to stay in court pic.twitter.com/QxLrhCLMdP

— Yolanda Jones (@yojonesreporter) November 6, 2018

The outburst upset the judge and some in court.

“Mr. Wilbourn has not followed the court's instructions while he has been in this courtroom,” Coffee said. “He flat-out refused to stand when I told him to a few days earlier. He showed his true colors and acted a fool.”

This is not the first time Wilbourn has been called a coward by authorities. After Wilbourn was on the run following the shooting death of Bolton, then-Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong described him as a coward.

When Wilbourn turned himself in to U.S. Marshals in 2015, Armstrong said Wilbourn told him, “I am not a coward.”

After the sentence was read and the jury was not in the courtroom, Coffee told jailers to bring Wilbourn back into court, but the judge was told that Wilbourn refused to leave his cell.

Coffee read Wilbourn's sentence in "absentia."

He then thanked the jurors, attorneys and the Bolton family for their patience throughout the proceedings.

The Bolton family did not speak to the media after the sentencing, but they issued a statement through the Memphis Police Department.

"We would like to thank the men and women of the jury, Judge Coffee, officers of the court and the Shelby County District Attorney's Office," the Bolton family said in the statement. "We would also like to thank the men and women of law enforcement in Shelby County who work so diligently to serve and protect. We see the sacrifices you and your families make to keep our community safe. 

They added, "Nothing can bring Sean back to us but we take comfort in the fact that his murderer can never cause harm to anyone else in our community."

Wilbourn's family was in the courtroom throughout the trial, but when he had his angry outburst, some of his family were kicked out of court for causing a commotion in the hallway. They were escorted out by deputies, put on elevators and told to leave the building at 201 Poplar. 

Some family members of Wilbourn were also escorted out of the courtroom. Judge called a recess to settle things down in the middle of closing arguments. pic.twitter.com/WWA7Tu7BBF

— Yolanda Jones (@yojonesreporter) November 6, 2018

Reaction to Wilbourn's sentence

Memphis police brass, including Police Director Michael Rallings, attended the sentencing hearing, and he said the verdict brings closure for Bolton’s family and the officer's police family.

“It has been a tough time for everybody,” Rallings said. “No verdict can ever replace human life, but it’s our system. The jury has spoken and justice has been served. I think the judge said it best that hopefully this brings the family some sort of closure, but hopefully it brings the Memphis Police Department closure.”

Prosecutors Reginald Henderson, Leslie Byrd and Dwyer said the jury did their job.

“The attorneys did their job and the jury did their job, that’s what the system of justice is all about,” Henderson said.

Prosecutors said the Bolton family, who were in the courtroom when the verdict was read, were pleased with sentence.

“One way or the other, they wanted the jury to make the decision,” Dwyer said about the Bolton family’s rejection of the earlier offer of life imprisonment. “They didn’t want to make it for themselves. And given his attitude during the whole proceeding, it was clear he was not a bit remorseful.”

After the verdict, Wilbourn’s legal team, Juni Ganguli, Lauren Pasley and Laurie Hall, said they felt good about the verdict.

“We’re happy,” Ganguli said about Wilbourn getting life in prison instead of the death penalty. “We overcame a lot of adversities. We worked really hard and we saved a man’s life.”

In addition to the first-degree murder charge, Wilbourn was also convicted of carjacking, a felon in possession of a handgun and employing a firearm during a dangerous felony. He will be sentenced on those charges Dec. 17.