Dean Penney, convicted of first-degree murder in the death and disappearance of his estranged wife Jennifer Hillier-Penney in December of 2016, was handed a mandatory life sentence in Corner Brook Supreme Court this morning.

Penney, who long maintained his innocence, was found guilty by a jury in May.

Penney’s trial focused on evidence gathered in a so-called Mr. Big sting.

The conviction comes with a mandatory life-sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years.

Jennifer Hillier-Penney’s body has never been found.