NJ man sentenced to 25 years for killing mistress

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey man who pleaded guilty to killing his mistress has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Rosario DiGirolamo (DEE'-jer-AH'-lah-moh) must serve 85 percent of his term before he'll be eligible for parole. He admitted killing 27-year-old Amy Giordano of Hightstown in June 2007 and dumping her dismembered body in a New York pond.

Judge Edward Neafsey called the crime "ghastly" on Wednesday.

Evidence shows DiGirolamo had searched Google for the phrase "lethal karate blows to the back of the head" days before the killing. Defense attorney Jerome Ballarotto says that evidence was "catastrophic" and a key factor in their client's decision to plead guilty last month.

Authorities say DiGirolamo left the couple's 11-month-old son in the parking lot of a Delaware hospital after killing Giordano.