AMES, Iowa (AP) — The man who fatally stabbed a former Iowa State University golfer from Spain while she was playing a round near the school was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Collin Richards pleaded guilty on June 14 to first-degree murder in the Sept. 17 slaying of 22-year-old Celia Barquin Arozamena. Police said Richards stabbed her on the course near the central Iowa campus in Ames and left her body in a pond.

Richards had been staying at a homeless encampment in nearby woods. Ames police reports show that Richards struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, mental health problems and homelessness after he got out of prison three months before he killed Barquin. He had served roughly seven months behind bars for violating the terms of his probation on convictions for burglary and other crimes.

Richards, 22, told a judge earlier this month that he was sorry for his crime. He said in a handwritten letter that he wanted to show remorse “for stripping a life from society … worse, from a loving family.”

Barquin was a top golfer in Spain as a teenager and came to Iowa State to pursue her career.

Her family is aware of Richards’ expression of remorse but “they don’t give too much credit to that apology at this time,” the family’s lawyer, Leon Vidaller, told The Des Moines Register for a story published Thursday.

Authorities have not been able to explain why Richards did it, which makes the loss even worse, Vidaller said. Richards’ family and friends have said his dependence on methamphetamine and other drugs likely led to mental health issues and the violence.

Richards being imprisoned for life — a mandatory sentence — won’t bring Barquin back, but it will give the family some closure, the lawyer said.

The Creston Police Department reports an arrest on Thursday. At 1:20pm Officers arrested 60-year-old Martin Dennis Kelly of Creston at the intersection of Patt and Lincoln Streets for Public Intoxication. Kelly was taken to the Union County Jail and held on $300 cash or surety bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Health officials say four cases of respiratory illness have been confirmed in four young Iowans with a history of vaping.

The Iowa Department of Public Health said in a news release Thursday that several other states have recently reported cases of severe respiratory illness among teenagers and young adults who’d been vaping. Their symptoms include cough, fatigue, dizziness, headache, vomiting and diarrhea, chest pain and worsening difficulty breathing. The cases are still being investigated.

The department director, Dr. Caitlin Pedati, is asking health care providers to watch for cases of severe respiratory illness among teenagers and young adults and to inquire about their recent vaping and e-cigarette use. The providers also are asked to report any cases to the Iowa Public Health Department.

Work is expected to begin soon on a section of Olive Street on the north side of Atlantic. The construction is a resurfacing project of about a six mile stretch of Olive Street from the Atlantic city limits to the Audubon County line.

A pilot car will be in place to control traffic on the roadway as the road is milled down and re-surfaced with asphalt. The roadway will also be widened by two feet on each side.

Once started the project has a 35 working day timeline and is expected to be completed by mid to late September.