SKOWHEGAN (AP) – A Waterville man who fatally shot his estranged wife in the head while their two children were present was sentenced Friday to 45 years.

Richard Reynolds, 43, was sentenced in Somerset County Superior Court by Justice Andrew Horton, who found Reynolds guilty in November.

Reynolds was convicted of murder in the shooting death of Rhonda Wakefield-Reynolds on Jan. 12, 2007, the day she planned to file for divorce.

Reynolds testified at his trial that he intended to kill himself in his wife’s presence but that he flinched and the gun discharged when he heard their two children outside the bedroom.

At his sentencing, Reynolds did not apologize to the family of Wakefield-Reynolds. In his statement to the court, he made reference to other cases in which he claimed women who killed their spouses received lighter sentences.

“Because I’m a man, I’m held at a higher standard than a woman,” Reynolds said, “Where’s the justice in this state?”

Kempton Wakefield, the father of victim, said the sentence was insufficient.

“Fifty years is not enough,” said Wakefield. “Keep this piece of garbage in jail for the rest of his life.”

The victim’s mother, Mary Wakefield, said she wanted a sentence that would make a statement to all abusers.

The fact that the murder was a case of domestic abuse was an aggravating factor in his sentencing. Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea had asked for a 50-year sentence; Reynolds’ attorney, Peter Barnett, asked for 30 to 35 years.