A man who was angry that his family would not go along with his conversion to Islam was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday in the slayings of his mother, pregnant wife, infant son and two nieces in a rampage last year on the South Side.

James A. Larry, 33, of Madison, Wis., pleaded guilty last month to multiple counts of murder, attempted murder and the intentional homicide of an unborn child.

The bald, bearded defendant issued a quiet apology in Judge James Linn's courtroom, as several surviving members of the family stood at a podium and clutched one another.

"I'm sorry for what I did to my family," Larry said, standing in a tan jail jumpsuit, his hands clasped behind his back. "I regret it every day, and I pray for them."

Family members chose not to submit victim-impact statements for the judge to consider and declined to speak after the hearing, telling a court liaison they were simply relieved the case was over.

Muslim massacres family