FORT COLLINS, Colo.—A Fort Collins man convicted of strangling his wife was described as "sadistic" before a judge sentenced him to 56 years to life in prison.

The Coloradoan reports that 50-year-old John Marks Jr. remained silent through his sentencing hearing Tuesday ( Family members of the victim described him as "sadistic" and "extreme" and asked for a lengthy sentence.

Marks was convicted last month in the death of Kathy Adams. Her body was found strangled and beaten in a ravine between Lyons and Estes Park in 2010.

Kathy Adams worked in Fort Collins as a psychic known as Psychic Kay.