Beverly Man Sentenced In Wife's Murder

SALEM, MA -- Salem Superior Court Judge James Lang sentenced Axel Scherer, 48, to 22 years to life in prison Tuesday. Earlier this month a jury convicted Scherer of second degree murder in the November 2015 killing of his wife, Edith "Edie" Black-Scherer, 45. Black-Scherer's sisters gave victim impact statements to the court before the sentence was handed down.

Attorneys for Scherer never disputed that he killed Black-Scherer, but instead mounted an insanity defense in the trial, which concluded after more than four days of testimony.

Black-Scherer was taken to Beverly Hospital in critical condition on Nov. 16, 2015 and died of her injuries several days later. Last week jurors heard a recording an interview with police in which Scherer said "I strangled her, I think."

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