Cousins of Jennifer Mullen, from left, Joanne Zuckla and Julie Zuckla, sit with Lois Mullen, mother of Jennifer Mullen, in the courtroom of Judge Anthony D’Apolito on Tuesday during the hearing for George Hill III, who was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for killing his girlfriend, Jennifer Mullen, in their home on Shields Road in Boardman in May 2020.....Staff photo / Ed Runyan

YOUNGSTOWN — Julie Zuckla, a cousin of Jennifer Mullen, said her cousin’s death at the hands of George Hill III, 46, almost exactly two years ago took a terrible toll on family members, including Jennifer’s two daughters, ages 13 and 6.

Zuckla said it’s too early to tell what the impact will be on Mullen’s daughters, “but the risk of generational trauma is substantial, and that is the greatest tragedy of all.”

She said when Jennifer was taken to the hospital after Hill assaulted her May 30, 2020, or May 31, 2020, in her home on Shields Road in Boardman, leaving her with a fatal brain bleed, it was during some of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We wanted to see her. We wanted to touch her cheek, hold her hand. We desperately wanted her to feel our presence. Because of COVID restrictions, her extended family and friends were robbed of the chance to say goodbye,” Zuckla said.

A jury found Hill, 46, guilty of murder and other offenses during a trial a month ago in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. On Tuesday, Judge Anthony D’Apolito sentenced Hill to 15 years to life in prison, the maximum sentence.

Hill did not speak during the hearing.

But Zuckla said: “My cousin’s generous spirit and open heart left her vulnerable to the likes of George Hill. She saw the good in people where none existed and paid dearly for it.”

She said, “Jennifer always went out of her way to celebrate her friends and family. She was the first to wish you a happy birthday and the first to offer assistance with putting up or taking down decorations at family events. Her energy was boundless and beautiful. We will never fully adjust to Jenniferás absence.”

She said an unexpected sadness in the aftermath of Jennifer’s death was that doctors felt that Jennifer’s death would take too much of a toll on Jennifer’s grandmother, so family members kept that information from her.

“Jennifer spent time looking after her grandmother, who had been diagnosed with dementia. After she died, my aunt was advised by doctors not to tell her mother because they believed it could adversely impact her condition.

“Jennifer’s grandmother asked frequently about Jennifer. She did not understand why she no longer came around. My aunt Lois, still reeling from her loss, had to look her mother in the eye and say things like, “Jennifer’s fine. Don’t worry. She’s just really busy. She loves you.”

The first witness in the trial was the oldest of Mullen’s two daughters, who was not home the night her mother suffered her fatal injury, but was asked numerous questions about the relationship between her mother and Hill.

She said her mother and Hill fought “almost every night,” and that the fights were physical and verbal. “Most of the time, he would push her around, pull her hair sometimes, sometimes he would hit her,” she said.

Because her mother had bruising on her arms and legs, she would sometimes wear garments that would cover those areas, the girl said. She did not tell anyone about the injuries out of fear, she said.