JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for his wife's murder, which was witnessed by their then-toddler son who found his mother's buried body 21 years later.
Michael Haim, 52, was convicted last month of second-degree murder, the Florida Times-Union reported.
Bonnie Haim was 23 when she disappeared in January 1993 and would have turned 50 on Monday.
Police found the woman's purse, along with IDs, credit cards and cash, inside a hotel trash bin near the Jacksonville airport, and her car was found in the airport parking lot. Michael Haim told investigators she had left home the previous night following an argument.
The couple's 3-year-old son Aaron told police his father had shot the woman, but no body was found. Michael Haim was not charged and lived off his dead wife's life insurance policy for years.
Aaron Fraser, who was later adopted and took his new family's name, eventually won a wrongful death lawsuit against his biological father and got his home.
Fraser was removing the pool in 2014 when he found his mother's remains. Haim was soon arrested.
Sentencing guidelines for second-degree murder in 1993 suggested seven to 22 years in prison. Bonnie Haim's family had asked the judge to consider giving Michael Haim at least 26 years for the time she has been gone while he remained free.