BANGOR (AP) – A Glenburn man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for what a judge described as an “assassination-style killing” followed by the dismembering of the victim’s body.

Penobscot County Superior Court Justice Andrew Mead sentenced 45-year-old Jimmy Lipham on Wednesday, saying the nature of the killing justifies a sentence beyond the 25-year minimum for murder set by state law.

A jury last June found Lipham guilty in the July 31, 2003, death of 53-year-old David Langway of Winterport.

“This was an assassination-style killing committed in a setting of trust,” the judge said, adding that the most aggravating factor was the “cruel post-mortem treatment of the victim’s body.”

“It’s just ghastly,” Mead said.

Lipham testified during his three-day trial that he accidentally killed Langway with a handgun when the two went into the woods to poach a deer. He said the gun went off when he tripped and shot Langway in the back of the head.

But a state prosecutor said the shooting was no accident. Assistant Attorney General Fernand LaRochelle told jurors that Lipham cut off his friend’s arms and legs so he could be buried more easily.

The victim had suffered permanent brain damage following a motorcycle accident in 1986.

Lipham, an Alabama native, wept Wednesday as he apologized to Lipham’s family and for the pain he caused his own family. “I take full responsibility for what happened. I don’t expect anyone to forgive me. I know I have to pay for it my whole life,” Lipham said.

Lipham’s attorney, Bradford MacDonald, said he will appeal the conviction and sentence.