San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Barbara Mallach handed down the sentence to Mohammed Haroon Ali, 37, saying the defendant still has "very little insight" into the gravity of crime he committed when he killed Tracey Biltenikoff more than 13 years ago.
"Clearly this is a tragedy for both families," Mallach said. "Obviously it's very, very sad."
Tracey's father, football Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff, said at this morning's sentencing that he feels nothing but hatred for the defendant, and asked for the court to impose the maximum sentence.
"My hatred for Ali will never go away," Biletnikoff said. "This animal has to be put away and never let out of prison."
San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said that the "only conceivable fair and just punishment" would be for Ali to be sentenced to prison for the rest of his life.
Following a five-week trial that ended in March, a jury found Ali guilty of murdering Biletnikoff during an argument at a rehab center in San Mateo on Feb. 15, 1999.
It was the second time Ali had had been convicted of first-degree murder in connection with the crime.
A 2001 conviction was overturned in 2009, when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that that prosecutors had improperly dismissed at least one black juror.
