(CNN) -- Admitted killer John Albert Gardner III bowed his head and wept at his sentencing Friday as the parents of his teen victims called him a monster and coward for raping and murdering their daughters.





At the end of the hourlong hearing, the convicted sex offender was sentenced by Judge David Danielsen to three consecutive terms of life without parole for murdering Chelsea King and Amber Dubois and attacking a jogger.





The case has sparked calls for tougher penalties against sex offenders.





Dressed in a green jailhouse jumpsuit, his gaze on the floor, Gardner became emotional as the parents took turns attempting to articulate the agony of their losses before a packed courtroom in San Diego Superior Court.





The themes of their statements alternated between celebrations of the teens' lives and expressions of rage directed at Gardner.





"Look at me," Kelly King, Chelsea's mother, tearfully demanded of her daughter's killer after taking the podium. She paused and waited as a red-faced Gardner slowly lifted his eyes, casting a quick glance at her before shutting them.





"What I feel is so much deeper than I ever dare to express in a public forum. There are things I'd like to say, but to protect my son and to maintain the dignity of my family, my words will be far too mild to adequately speak the disgusting truth about you," she said tearfully, trembling as she spoke.





"Chelsea was a sweet, loving and innocent soul who could not have fathomed the wretched piece of evil that ended her beautiful life on that day."





Gardner, 31, pleaded guilty April 16 to raping and murdering the San Diego-area teens in a deal with prosecutors that spared him the death penalty. He also pleaded guilty to assault with intent to commit rape of a jogger who managed to fight him off.





CNN does not name survivors of sexual assault.





The young woman also addressed Gardner in open court Friday.





"As a runner, I've always gloried in the peace that comes in the utter solitude of a long run," said the woman, who was attacked in December 2009. "In a single instance, this man took from me the safety and solitude of my own mind."





She said it was important for her to appear in court to represent the slain teens, despite the "pain and guilt" she feels as a survivor.





"I came here to stand today as a witness for Chelsea and Amber. I came to watch as justice is served for the horrifying acts he has committed," she said, fighting back tears. "I come here today for all the women who have ever been victims of violence, to ask with Chelsea and Amber's voices to remove this man from our world, to make us a little safer by locking him up permanently.





King was also running on a trail near the Rancho Bernardo Community Park on February 28 when Gardner attacked her and dragged her to a remote area, according to court documents. He raped and stabbed the 17-year-old and buried her body in a shallow grave. He was arrested three days later, after his DNA was matched to semen found on her clothes.





During the emotional hearing, Gardner was called an animal, monster and sociopath. King's father, Brent, said the most appropriate name for the registered sex offender was "coward."





"As I thought about what I would say to you today, I realized that names like 'monster and 'animal' in a perverse way let you off the hook. You knew what you were doing when you chose to wait for and corner Chelsea," King said.





"The most fitting name for you is 'coward.' You are not a man. You are just a weak, pathetic coward who preys on unsuspecting young girls half your size. You are evil not because of some sickness or disease, so don't blame anything or anyone for your crimes. You intentionally chose evil and now you have to live with that evil festering inside you and eating you up as you rot in a prison cell for
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pleaded guilty killer Chelsea King and Amber Dubois three three consecutive terms of life without parole
question: What was his plea?, answer: pleaded guilty | question: who is john albert gardner?, answer: killer | question: Which murders did Gardner take a plea deal from?, answer: Chelsea King and Amber Dubois | question: How many life terms did Gardner get?, answer: three | question: What punishment did John Albert Gardner get?, answer: three consecutive terms of life without parole