"What she did not deserve, was to die on the floor of her bedroom alone, in a burning house that the defendant set on fire," said her granddaughter Ronette Kawakami in court on Tuesday.

It's been nearly eight months since the house Hagihara was living in went up in flames before the break of dawn. 

Her family said 35-year-old Michael Dahilig had burglarized the Pearl City house before, and others.

He was even caught on tape after increasingly brazen burglaries, ultimately burning a house down and taking a life.

"I will never understand what he had to have, why had to return three times to the house, the last two times with a blow torch," said Kawakami.

"I sincerely express how deeply sorry I am for your loss due to my reckless and idiotic actions."

In court, Dahilig offered those words, before Judge Randall Lee sentenced him to 35 years, with a minimum of 11 years and eight months.

Prosecutors said it's part of a plea deal to spare a trial for a family already traumatized and exhausted.

"To get the family to relive the loss of their family member is very difficult. When someone passes you want to put it behind you and move on," said city prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro.

The burned out house was razed in June and the family plans to start rebuilding soon.