The father of 2-year-old Bella Bond, better known as “Baby Doe,” spoke out Wednesday during the sentencing of the man convicted of murdering his child. Michael McCarthy, who was dating Bella’s mother, was convicted of second-degree murder Monday after five days and 23 hours of jury deliberations in Massachusetts court.

"I was robbed of my chance to be a father to Bella," Joseph Amoroso said, adding in a victim impact statement, "Bella is the name I chose because it means beautiful, and that she was." Amoroso called Bella a "gift from God" and described her as a "happy and innocent child, full of light," according to ABC News.

Read: 'Baby Doe' Bella's Mother To Be Sentenced In Daughter's Murder

Bella’s death first made national headlines when her body was found in July 2015 washed up on a Massachusetts beach wrapped in trash bags. Her mother testified to the jury that she watched McCarthy kill her daughter and later helped dispose of her body. Rachelle, who pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder, was due to be sentenced this week but the judge postponed her sentencing date to July on Wednesday.

Judge Janet Sanders sentenced McCarthy, 37, to life in prison with eligibility for parole after serving 20 years.

Rachelle said during the trial that she was “trapped by [McCarthy’s] abusive behavior and her own drug abuse” and that her boyfriend threatened her into keeping quiet after killing her daughter.

On Wednesday, Bella's father Amoroso expressed his grief saying that his daughter's life had been cut short. While talking about how Bella's life would have been, Amoroso said he thought his daughter would have excelled in college, and he could imagine her being a "well-mannered" mother who loved children.

"No justice on earth fixes" his grief, Amoroso said, adding, "Bella was, still is, and always will be in my heart and soul."

In 2015, after Bella was identified, Amoroso told People magazine that he never met his daughter. According to People, Amoroso said he had struggled with drug addiction and was trying to “straighten [his] life out to be there for Bella” when he learned of her death.

“Unfortunately it was too late,” he said. “We all have issues.”

Initially, Bella’s mother reportedly told friends and family that her daughter had been taken away by Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, but later admitted to a friend named Michael Sprinsky that her daughter was dead.

Read: Everything We Know About ‘Baby Doe’ Bella Bond Murder Trial

During closing arguments in the trial case, McCarthy's defense attorney Jonathan Shapiro said his client's DNA was not found.

“His fingerprints were not found. His hair was not found. Each of the forensic scientists who testified agreed that he or she did not find any link between Mr. McCarthy and this crime. Nothing, nothing, nothing,” Shapiro said. As no physical evidence linked McCarthy to Bella's death, the case relied mainly on Rachelle’s testimony.

“The story she told was clearly made up to cover her own guilt,” Shapiro said. “It was a web of lies, a changing web of lies, you know that.”

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