A former police officer in Nome was sentenced to 101 years in prison for murdering Sonya Ivanoff, a 19-year-old Alaska Native woman.

Matthew Owens, 30, was convicted of Ivanoff's murder after two trials. But he continued to maintain his innocence at the sentencing hearing on Monday.

"I know that the family suffers, but I'm not the reason for their suffering," Owens told the court, the Associated Press reports.

Owens received 99 years for the murder and 2 more years for attempting to obstruct the investigation. He was last seen with Ivanoff shortly before she was found dead on the side of a road in August 2003.

Ivanoff spent most of her life in the Native village of Unalakleet before moving to Nome in 2001.

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Ex-cop gets time in prison (AP 4/18)
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Relevant Links:
Nome Nugget - http://www.nomenugget.net

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