PITTSBURGH, US -- An Allegheny County judge sentenced a Ghana national this morning to 20 to 40 years in prison for strangling his wife inside their Forest Hills home.

A jury in November convicted Judge Agbley, 35, of third-degree murder for killing Brenda Agbley, 40, on Jan. 23, 2009.

Common Pleas Judge Kathleen Durkin imposed the maximum sentence, calling Agbley's actions "pretty chilling."

Agbley apologized to his wife's family, who cried behind him in court.

"I deeply regret this unfortunate incident," Agbley said. "I pray for Brenda every day, and I hope that she can find peace and comfort."

Agbley testified in his own defense at the trial, saying that he and his wife got in a fight over e-mails between her and another man. He said she grabbed scissors and he grabbed her neck.

Police found Brenda Agbley dead on the couch after she didn't pick up her 7-year-old son from school. Jude Agbley was arrested days later at a Greyhound bus station in Detroit.