BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. -- A man accused of illegally injecting a woman with silicone before her death was sentenced Wednesday.

Donnie Hendrix (pictured left) was given the maximum sentence of five years for operating without a license. He was given "time served" for a culpable negligence conviction.

Before his sentencing, Hendrix, who prefers to go by a woman's name and dress as a woman, apologized to his victim's daughter.

"I'd like to begin by expressing my sorrow. For a child to lose her mother, is unmistakably a great tragedy," said Hendrix.

Hendrix's co-defendant Mark Hawkins has a hearing for a new trial next week. The men were accused of causing the death of Vera Lawrence by injecting her buttocks with a large amount of industrial silicone at a "pumping party."

Hawkins' attorney is requesting a new trial because he said it was learned that a nurse on the jury panel was giving medical information to the panel.

As a side note, a Fort Lauderdale detective was in court Wednesday to inform the judge that Hendrix is a cooperating witness in a case against Kevin Hoffman. The detective asked the judge to take that into account when sentencing Hendrix.

Hoffman was re-arrested this week and charged with murder. Hoffman had been released after DNA evidence against him was accidentally destroyed at a BSO crime lab. Hendrix claims Hoffman talked about the murder when both men were in the Broward County Jail.