A Spokane man who killed his estranged wife, then impersonated her on MySpace to try duping family members into thinking she was still alive, will spend 18 years in prison, a judge ruled today.

Uriah J. Brosnan, 34, (pictured above, courtesy KHQ) pleaded guilty to the Jan. 28, 2009, beating death of Becky Brosnan, 32, in December in a plea deal that called for him to serve 220 months, the most possible for second-degree murder.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen imposed that sentence today after about two hours of testimony from family, including Uriah Brosnan's current girlfriend.

"This was a vicious murder that went on for some period of time," said Eitzen. "220 months is all the law allows me to impose, and I apologize for that because I don't think it's long enough."

The Brosnans were married for about 10 years and had two children before a contentious divorce sparked the ongoing custody dispute that court documents say led to Becky Brosnan’s murder.

Detectives found her body Feb. 9 in a debris pile behind a roofing company where Uriah Brosnan worked.

Past coverage:

Man faces 18 years in wife's death

Man impersonated wife online after killing her

Brosnans had no contact order in 1997

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