Man who strangled wife gets at least 22 years behind bars

SALEM, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts man convicted of strangling his estranged wife in 2015 has been sentenced to 22 years to life in prison.

The Salem News reports that 48-year-old Axel Scherer, of Beverly, was sentenced Tuesday by a judge who called the killing “a truly heinous act.”

Scherer was convicted earlier this month of second-degree murder by a jury that rejected an insanity defense.

Prosecutors say he strangled 45-year-old Edith Black-Scherer on Nov. 16, 2015 with his hands and the drawstring of her sweat shirt, then walked into the Beverly police station to tell officers what he had done. Black-Scherer was found alive, but died at a hospital days later.

Scherer has a history of mental illness.

Scherer’s attorney, Michael Phelan, told the judge that his client wanted to apologize.

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Information from: The Salem (Mass.) News, http://www.salemnews.com