NJ Man Sentenced To 22 Years For Strangling Wife, Stuffing Her Body In Drum

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 29: Handcuffs are seen on the hands of a twenty-year old "Street Villains" gang member who was arrested by Los Angeles Police Department officers from the 77th Street division on April 29, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The 77th Street division patrol the same neighborhood that truck driver Reginald Denny was nearly beaten to death by a group of black assailants at the intersection of Florence and Normandie Avenues. It?s been 20 years since the verdict was handed down in the Rodney King case that sparked infamous Los Angeles riots. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) (2012 Getty Images)

A northern New Jersey man who strangled his wife and stuffed her body in a 55-gallon drum has been sentenced to 22 years in prison.

Hudson County prosecutors say 40-year-old Steven Acuna killed his 32-year-old wife, Randy "Amanda" Lehrer, after a fight at their Jersey City Heights home in August 2011.

Authorities have said Acuna filled the 55-gallon drum with cement after he put Lehrer's body inside. The following month, investigators found the drum in the basement of the building where the couple lived.

Acuna pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter in October.

The couple had a daughter who is now 3 years old.