A Gilbert man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2017 murder of his wife, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced.

Maricopa Superior Court Judge Michael Blair gave the maximum sentence earlier this month to Mark Eric Ponsati, 42, who had been charged with one count of second-degree murder.

“I have been waiting for five years and eight months to speak about my precious daughter.  The pain is indescribable, especially when I heard about all the injuries she received,” the victim’s mother said during the victim impact statement at this month’s sentencing and in a pre-sentence report.

The killing occurred on Sept. 7, 2017.

The Gilbert Police Department responded to a 911 call from Ponsati, who reported his wife had slipped in the bathroom and hit her head.

She was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

The Office of the Medical Examiner report revealed that the victim’s injuries could not have been caused by a single slip and fall injury as described by her husband, according to a release from the county attorney.

“There were multiple blunt force injuries, multiple rib fractures, multiple skull fractures, spine and brain bruising consistent with violent shaking and a large laceration on the back of her head. The investigation also revealed multiple indications of staging and tampering with evidence,” the release stated.

“This two-month trial concluded . . . with the maximum sentence for this defendant, and this means a sense of closure and justice for the family and friends who cared deeply for this victim,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said.