BILLINGS - Calling it one of the most violent and gruesome murders she has encountered, a Yellowstone County District Court judge on Friday ordered a Billings man to serve 85 years in prison.
The sentence imposed on Shane Levi Cole Roberts by Judge Colette Davies was 15 years longer than the 70-year sentence recommended by both the prosecution and defense in the case. Davies ordered that none of the prison time be suspended.
While ordering the sentence, the judge noted that Roberts committed the horrific murder against a woman he proclaimed to love.
"I'm told that you loved this woman," Davies said, speaking to Roberts. "But this is not love. This is abomination."
The sentence came at the end of a four-hour-long hearing that included gruesome details of the crime and tearful statements from family members on both sides.
Roberts, 46, previously pleaded guilty to deliberate homicide for the August 2024 death of 52-year-old Genna Rae Moncada-LaCombe, whose decomposing body was found wrapped in blankets and other items on the front porch of a Heights apartment.
Police were called to the apartment and discovered the body on Aug. 24 after neighbors reported a strong smell and expressed concerns that they hadn't seen the woman in many days.
Roberts was arrested inside the apartment while hiding in a closet. He has remained in the Yellowstone County jail since his arrest.
Roberts and LaCombe were living together in the apartment on Sioux Lane after they started dating about two years before the murder.
On Friday, Davies heard testimony from a forensic psychologist who said he evaluated Roberts and diagnosed him as suffering from major depressive disorder and substance abuse.
But the doctor said the diagnosis did not include a finding that Roberts was unable to appreciate his actions at the time of the offense.
Billings police Det. Hunter Cook also testified, describing evidence found inside the apartment that included four bloodied weapons — two knives, a hammer, and a hatchet.
Cook also shared the results of an autopsy that showed LaCombe had suffered numerous blunt force and stab wounds, including a cut around her neck that nearly caused decapitation.
A recording of a phone call between Roberts while in jail and his mother was also played in court. During the call, Roberts admitted to killing LaCombe, saying that she "pushed him too far."
Cook also revealed that evidence included several photos found on Roberts' phone of LaCombe's body in a bathtub inside the apartment. The date on the photos was Aug. 15, nine days before officers were summoned to the apartment.
Several family members spoke during the hearing, including LaCombe's two sons. They tearfully said their mother was a caring and giving person who, despite a hard life marked by abuse at a young age, described herself as a survivor who found joy in her family and many others.
LaCombe's niece, Corinne Moncada, told the judge in her testimony that her aunt was loved by her family, and she feared her father would not survive the loss.
Moncada then spoke directly to Roberts sitting a few feet away in the courtroom. She told the man she was shocked to hear the recording of the jail conversation played earlier at the hearing, and then said: "There is something evil about you."
Both of Roberts' parents spoke directly to the victim's family, apologizing for the pain their son caused and saying how they had met and were fond of LaCombe.
"I do love my son, but he did a horrible crime, and he does deserve to go to prison," said Sue Roberts.
A defense attorney read a brief statement from Roberts in which he apologized and said he still can't understand why he committed the crime.
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