A German man, who was accused of killing his 91-year-old socialite wife, was convicted on Thursday.

According to the Associated Press, a jury deliberated for less than a day before finding Albrech Muth guilty of first degree murder in the beating and strangulation death of his wife, Viola Drath.

Prosecutors believe that the 49-year-old’s motivation for killing his much older wife was inheritance money.

The Daily Mail has reported that Muth told police that he and his wife had “a marriage of convenience” and that he did not attempt to resuscitate the elderly Drath because “the obvious was obvious.”

The eccentric Muth apparently made himself sick by not eating and could not appear in court. He did, however, watch the trail by videoconference.

Drath, a German journalist and playwright was found dead in Aug. 2011, in the bathroom of the couple’s Georgetown, Washington D.C residence.

Muth will be sentenced in March and faces up to life in prison for the conviction.