A Dublin computer executive was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for stabbing his wife to death after they argued over his gambling debts and liaisons with a Las Vegas prostitute.
Appearing in a Santa Clara courthouse, Colman Bowers showed no emotion when the judge handed him the maximum sentence for killing his wife, Ms Georgina Bowers, in the bedroom of their home near San Francisco.
Under California law, Bowers must serve at least 26 years before he is eligible for parole.
None of Bowers's family was present in court.
Bowers had moved from Dublin to the US about 12 years ago and secured a lucrative executive post in a Silicon Valley computer company.
Santa Clara police said Bowers was arrested last year after stabbing his wife once in the chest with a kitchen knife.
During his trial on second-degree murder charges, the court heard that Bowers told his two teenage sons he had taken a nap with their mother and then woken up and stabbed her. His lawyer claimed Bowers was mentally impaired when he stabbed his wife.