Video: Gabrielle Giffords faces Tucson assailant as he is sentenced to life Former US congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords stood in federal court to face her would-be assassin moments before he was sentenced to life in prison for killing six people and wounding 13 others, including Giffords, last year. Jared Loughner, 24, a college dropout with a history of psychiatric disorders, received seven consecutive life terms plus 140 years in prison, without the possibility of parole, under a plea deal with prosecutors that spared him the death penalty. US District Judge Larry Burns said the life sentences he imposed - one for each of the six people who lost their lives, and a seventh for the attempted assassination of Giffords - represented the individuality of the victims. Giffords suffered a head wound in the January 8, 2011, shooting that left her with speech difficulties, a paralyzed right arm, diminished sight and a limp. She resigned from Congress in January to focus on her recuperation.