Edward Clinton Lee, 52, was given the life sentence Monday because prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty in order to spare the granddaughter from testifying.
Lee fatally shot his 53-year-old girlfriend at her Caldwell home in June. The woman's granddaughter was home at the time and prosecutors say Lee then assaulted her before she escaped the home and notified police.
Lee had a prior conviction for indecency involving a 13-year-old girl and spent a decade in prison.
The Associated Press is not identifying the woman who was killed so as not to reveal the identity of a rape victim.
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