STROUDSBURG, Pa. -- A former funeral director was sentenced Wednesday in Monroe County court after she pleaded guilty to taking photos with bodies at the funeral home as they were being prepared for burial.
Investigators say last year, Angeliegha "Angel" Stewart took those pictures and then showed them to friends on her cell phone as a joke.
Stewart will spend the next 10 years on probation after pleading guilty to 16 counts of abuse of a corpse.
Last year, Stewart took pictures of bodies at Lanterman and Allen Funeral Home in East Stroudsburg as they were being prepared for burial and showed them to friends on her cell phone.
Among those photos was the husband of Rev. Cait Finnegan.
"I don't think she is going to change without being forced to think about what she has done. She's on probation, and the only thing she is forced to do now is not get caught again," said Rev. Finnegan.
Stewart sobbed as she told the victims' families she was sorry. She said, ''If I could take away the pain, I would, but it's too late. My life came crashing down last year. I just hope you can get closure. I know you probably hate me. I just hope you can get over this and move on. I'm really sorry, and there is nothing more I can say."
"If she had true remorse, she would have, she should have had the courage to look at each family member when they were talking to her," said victim Theresa Englehardt.
One photo showed a corpse whose organs had been removed. Another showed a body covered in maggots.
Stewart admitted to showing the pictures to her friends to, "gross them out."
"I am used to seeing crocodile tears. I think she is sorry she got caught to some extent," Rev. Finnegan said.
Stewart will spend the next 10 years on probation, serve 250 hours of community service, and she had to give up her funeral director's license.