It takes a lot of courage to say the obvious.

"Guilty of first-degree murder with a sentence of life in prison without parole."The decision of a Lehigh County jury on Tuesday summed up the feelings of many observers over the past 16 months.The jury made their decision without having the benefit of knowing Anthony Heath's background.He admitted to a history of alcohol and drugs. But things got worse.In 2012, he was arrested for repeatedly biting his 1-year-old son.But that offense was minor compared to Heath's actions on Jan. 31, 2014.That night or early the following morning, he brutally strangled Angela Steigerwalt.She was a kind, gentle, hardworking 35-year-old who spent her life helping others and showering people with love.She also was my niece.But Heath, 26, snuffed her out in a fit of anger over her alleged broken promise to drive him to a child custody hearing, along with his admitted displaced aggression toward his ex-wife, who was trying to deny him access to the kids, and no wonder."But when it comes to my kids, a different kind of angry comes out," he said.After killing Angela in a fit of rage, he went on to torch her body, burning her beyond recognition in an attempt to leave behind no trace evidence.He took her credit cards and charged purchases for himself.He stole her cellphone. Using it, he created a text message. He sent the message to himself, posing as the victim, providing false information to mislead police.He then stole Angela's car and used it to flee several states away.Despite crafting an amazingly duplicitous scheme, Heath was caught in North Carolina.Ultimately, he was charged with homicide.He also was charged with theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, access device fraud, abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.Yet, he seemed to have answers to those charges. I suppose it's not a surprise, given his passion for lying.He concocted unbelievable stories to divert attention from his diabolical acts.In his most audacious move, he chose to represent himself in court, snubbing his nose at experienced public defenders.Part of his ploy was to tag her husband as abusive, trying to deviously finger him as responsible for Angela's death.To save his own neck, Heath generated other outrageous lies during the five-day trial, making it almost impossible for media to keep up with the daily spin.In front of the eyes of a packed courtroom, Heath churned out more off-the-cuff fantasy than Walt Disney. People showed videotapes of his confession.Evil breeds evil. Or as state prosecutor Steven Luksa quoted: "Oh what a tangled web we weave ..."Of course, the only thing that matters is the truth.But how do you get a kernel of truth out of a devious mind? How do you reconcile contradictory statements by someone who lies under oath and gives false testimony?Thankfully, a wise jury found a way to cut through the cow fertilizer.It took nearly six hours of deliberation, but a group of impartial, everyday citizens put their heads together and stopped the horror of Anthony Heath.For once, our judicial system worked just fine.Seven men and five women put Heath out of commission, and a long-overdue path toward healing can begin.He'll never bite or injure another innocent child. He'll never again murder someone's vulnerable daughter, sister or niece.Heath will spend the rest of his misguided life in confinement. The man with all the answers likely will become the guru of Graterford.The streets of Allentown are a little bit safer.Heath is no longer a predator; he's the prey, thanks to a courageous panel of peers who refused to give him the final word.They listened to a week's worth of testimony and examined 80 pieces of shocking evidence.And, in the end, they came up with the ultimate safe word "guilty."