A California fugitive, aged 65, who managed to evade authorities for almost four decades before being apprehended in June, has now been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of a Florida woman.

Donald Santini entered a guilty plea for second-degree murder as part of an agreement with prosecutors, thereby avoiding a first-degree murder charge.

The deal was approved by Circuit Judge Samantha Ward, who subsequently issued the sentence in Tampa on Thursday, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times.

The case, initially slated for a trial in two weeks, concluded with the approved plea agreement and sentencing.

“Good luck,” the judge told Santini, who has been in jail without bond since his arrest in June at his home near San Diego.

“Thank you, Your Honor,” Santini, whose hands were cuffed in front of him, replied, NBC News reported.

Before his apprehension, Santini resided in California using the name Wellman Simmonds. He held the position of president on a local water board in Campo, a small suburb of San Diego, regularly participating in public board meetings.

His life in California came to an end following a tip from the Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. This information led U.S. marshals to Campo, where Santini was taken into custody.

In 1984, Santini went by the alias Charles Michael Stevens, a name he adopted to evade a warrant for a crime committed in Texas. According to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s officials, he utilized at least 13 aliases throughout the years.

Prosecutors, prepared to present new details about the case to jurors, asserted that Santini was the last person seen with Cynthia “Cindy” Ruth Wood, 33, on June 6, 1984. Her body was discovered in a water-filled ditch three days later.

Assistant State Attorney Scott Harmon, speaking during Thursday’s hearing, revealed that Wood had informed friends and associates of her date on June 5, 1984. Neighbors later informed investigators about a van parked in her driveway.

Harmon explained that a woman in a relationship with Santini informed investigators that he borrowed a van for the date, as reported by NBC News.

Another witness stated that Santini claimed he was paid by Wood’s husband’s family to obtain damaging character evidence for a custody battle over the couple’s young children.

According to Harmon, Santini informed the woman the following morning that he had killed Wood and disposed of her body.

After the hearing, Hillsborough Assistant Public Defender Jamie Kane declined to comment on the case.

Written by B.C. Begley