The boyfriend who shot and killed a popular Merritt Island piercing artist, Alicia “Red” Campitelli, in 2021 has been sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Philip M. Keller, 43, pleaded guilty Feb. 3 to second-degree murder, grand theft, fraudulent use of a credit card and tampering with evidence in a plea agreement that was secured by Assistant State Attorneys Jason Andersen and Nader Hatoum.

Campitelli worked as a piercer at DaVinci Tattoo and Body Piercing at the Merritt Square Mall. During the sentencing hearing in Viera, Campitelli’s family members spoke from the witness stand about the victim’s loving spirit and about the heartbreak of losing her.

Keller, an aspiring professional MMA fighter at the time, confessed to sheriff’s investigators that he shot Campitelli, 35, in the home they shared on Merritt Island during an argument over his drug use.

After the shooting, Keller took the victim’s car and debit card and drove to several ATMs to withdraw more than $1,400 to buy drugs. Later, he threw the gun into a canal off the Beachline Expressway on Merritt Island.

Under the plea agreement approved by Circuit Judge Bruce Jacobus, Keller must serve at least 25 years before he becomes eligible for time off for good behavior or consideration for parole.