Arthur Morgan III, a New Jersey man, was convicted of murder, child endangerment, and interference into custody on Thursday.
Morgan strapped his two year old daughter, Tierra, into her car seat, weighed it down with a tire iron, and threw her into a creek. Her body was found at a park near the Jersey Shore in November in 2011.
According to American Live Wire, Morgan’s motive for killed his daughter was to get back at his ex-fiancé for breaking off the engagement.
During his trial, the defense asked for a conviction of reckless manslaughter, which carries a sentence of five years, according to the Huffington Post.
The New Jersey man fled to California, and was later picked up in San Diego. Authorities found a newspaper clipping of the murder in his pocked.
The two year old most likely was alive for eight minutes after being thrown into the creek. Her father got into his car, and never looked back.
Several family members of the little girl wailed after Morgan was read his sentence.