CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — A Casper man who stabbed his roommate to death with a sword has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Don Johns, 39, was sentenced Wednesday after he was previously convicted of first-degree murder in the August 2015 death of 49-year-old Donald Wickersham.

Both men had been drinking with friends the night of the killing, but the defense and the prosecution disagree on which roommate was the aggressor in the fight.

Prosecutors said Johns stabbed the man in the back and slit his throat, then packed a suitcase and left the apartment without calling 911. Wickersham was stabbed 29 times.

Johns, who claims self-defense, asked the judge Wednesday to sentence him to death because he is tired of fighting to stay alive.

More From KGAB