LAFAYETTE, Ala. —  The former Lanett acting mayor was sentenced to 40 years in prison for murdering his wife in what prosecutors said was an argument over money.

A judge sentenced Barry Waites on Wednesday and ordered him to pay $5,000 to the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission. A jury found Waites guilty on Nov. 20 of murder in the Aug. 4, 1998, death of his wife, Charlotte Waites, who was found beaten and strangled in their home.

Waites plans to appeal, defense attorney Josh McKeown said.

The sentence for Waites could end the political murder mystery that has divided Lanett, a quiet mill town on the Alabama-Georgia line, over his guilt or innocence.

At the time of his wife's murder, Waites was a city councilman who had been elevated to acting mayor. He was not charged in the murder case until this year, although an opponent in his 2000 city council re-election race, Rob Spraggins, publicly accused Waites of killing his wife.

Waites, who has remarried, was not present when Spraggins made the claim at a political forum and never responded to it. Both Waites and Spraggins were defeated.

(Story continues below)

The Waites' daughter, Cara Chamber, called the moment bittersweet.

"It's hard because my mom deserves justice, but yet it's really hard to see my dad serve that justice," she said.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.