(CNN) -- Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords stood next to her husband in court Thursday as he spoke directly to Jared Loughner, the Arizona man who tried to assassinate the then-congresswoman in a January 2011 shooting. 

"Mr. Loughner, you may have put a bullet through her head, but you haven't put a dent in her spirit and her commitment to make the world a better place," former astronaut Mark Kelly said. 

Giffords was seriously wounded when Loughner walked up and shot her in the head during her meet-and-greet event with constituents outside a Tucson grocery store on January 8, 2011. A federal judge, a congressional aide and four others were killed and 12 other people suffered wounds. 

U.S. District Judge Larry Burns sentenced Loughner to serve the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. The punishment includes seven consecutive life terms plus 140 years. 

"The evidence clearly shows that he knew what he was doing, despite his mental illness," the judge said. 

Loughner, 24, spoke just once, confirming to the judge that he would make no statement before sentencing. "That is true," he said. 

Giffords shooting survivors seek federal help in tightening gun laws 

Beside the dramatic appearance by Giffords and her husband, nine other victims spoke at the sentencing hearing held in a packed federal courtroom in Tuscon. 

Kelly, in an interview Thursday evening with CNN's Piers Morgan, said hearing what they had to say "was really a tough thing" for Giffords. 

"Gabby said afterwards, for her the biggest emotion was just sadness," Kelly said. "To hear story after story of what the impact of this horrible day had on people was really difficult." 
How old was Loughner during the time of the hearing?
Loughner, 24,