Linda Dolloff of Standish was sentenced late Friday afternoon to 25 years in prison with all but 16 years suspended for the attempted murder of her husband Jeffrey Dolloff.

Dolloff, who ran a yoga and pottery studio out of the home she and her husband shared off Oak Hill Road, was sentenced by Cumberland County Superior Court Justice Joyce Wheeler, who also presided over the three-week trial last May.

Dolloff was found guilty by a jury May 22, 2010 on charges of attempted murder, elevated aggravated assault and false public alarm/report stemming from the April 12, 2009 incident in which Dolloff is accused of beating her husband with his prized baseball bat while he slept and then shooting herself. Dolloff, who still maintains her innocence, claims an intruder perpetrated the crimes.

As part of the Justice Wheeler’s sentencing, Dolloff will also serve four years of probation during which time she will be barred from having any direct or indirect contact with Jeffrey Dolloff or his immediate family. She must also pay $15,000 of Jeffrey Dolloff’s medical expenses and submit to a full psychological evaluation and take any prescribed medication.

In stark contrast to her demeanor at trial, where she showed no emotion as the jury’s guilty verdict was read, Dollofff was tearful during phases of Friday’s four-hour long proceeding, holding a tissue to her face for prolonged periods and shielding her face from the press.

In an emotional three-minute speech, Dolloff took to the podium to beg for mercy from the judge. Apologizing for being a “huge burden on the legal system, the court and everyone involved,” she maintained her innocence saying the crime “goes against my abiding belief in non-violence.”

Fighting back tears during her several-minute speech, Dolloff also claimed that District Attorney Stephanie Anderson, the state’s prosecuting attorney during the trial, offered Dolloff a three-year sentence before the trial started, something Anderson vehemently denied after Dolloff’s speech. Dolloff, however, said she couldn’t accept the plea bargain saying, “But I could not do that, and I did not try to kill my husband,” she told the court in a raised voice.

While a few of Jeffrey Dolloff’s family members were present, the audience consisted mostly of Dolloff’s former yoga students, relatives and former co-workers who Dolloff’s attorney, Dan Lilley, invited to speak. Each requested the judge show leniency due to what they described as Dolloff’s “gentle soul” and good works in the community.

The judge, however, in announcing the sentence, said her decision was based on the evidence presented at trial, Dolloff’s failure to accept responsibility, and what Justice Wheeler described as Dolloff’s “pervasive personality disorders characterized by dishonesty that would make rehabilitation difficult.”

Dolloff has 21 days to appeal the sentence.

Linda Dolloff was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison with all but 16 years suspended. (Staff photo by John Balentine)