Vernell Vance loved being a grandmother.
The Atlantic County woman even followed her daughter and son-in-law as they moved to different states so she could continue to dote on her grandchildren.
But during a trip home in April 2018, she “crossed paths with someone whose soul has been ravaged by demons,” Kaar Naff said Thursday at the sentencing of her mother’s killer.
Mark Huff beat her in the head with a concrete masonry block in what he has admitted was a drug-and-alcohol-fueled rage.
Once Vance was on the ground, Huff stomped on her.
The 56-year-old woman’s body was found behind 21 S. Tennessee Ave. at about 11: 30 p.m. April 14, 2018. Video surveillance in the area captured the brutal attack.
Huff was arrested two days later and has remained jailed since.
He was sentenced to 25 years in prison Thursday and must serve 21 years and three months before he is eligible for parole under the No Early Release Act.
That isn’t enough, the victim’s son told the judge.
“He took a solid person,” Kwami Vance said. “Somebody that helped feed the homeless, helped her friends.”
Atlantic City City Council honored her as someone who “exemplified what it meant to be an outstanding, passionate advocate.”
Huff, now 58, said he prays daily for God’s forgiveness.
"I can’t explain what happened that night,” he said. “Things got out of hand, man. That’s not my heart and I feel bad.”
Naff does not accept his remorse. She said it’s instead someone mourning his own limited freedom.
“I hope with all my heart that he is never allowed to be released from prison,” she told the judge.
