He shook their 1-month-old daughter to death.

But when John Wayne Wirick, 33, of Pasadena was to be sentenced Monday in county Circuit Court on one count of manslaughter, his wife wrote the judge a letter on his behalf.

"John is my wonderful gift from God," Jamie Lynn Wade wrote in the two-page letter of support. She explained how she met Wirick about two years ago and that he gave up "everything" last year to help her through a difficult pregnancy.

"He is loving, caring, funny and a fierce friend and husband. He is my best friend," she said.

Circuit Court Judge Paul A. Hackner...