Both sides in a plea bargain that is sending an Onida man to prison for at least 40 years in the shooting death of his wife say the main goal was to keep the couple's children from suffering more.

Thirty-nine-year-old Herman Kleinsasser Jr. was sentenced Monday
for first-degree manslaughter in the Jan. 28 shooting of his wife,
Sharon, in their Onida home in front of two of their children.

Prosecutors dropped a murder charge that could have sent Kleinsasser to prison for life. Robert Mayer with the South Dakota
attorney general's office says the main reason for the plea bargain
was to keep the couple's six children from having to testify at trial.

Defense attorney Wade Reimers says Kleinsasser agreed to the plea bargain so his children would not have to suffer any more. He also says the state had a "very strong case."

In court, Kleinsasser apologized to his children and other family members. The six children are being cared for by family and friends.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)