New Jersey man sentenced to 30 years for strangling female friend to death

MOUNT HOLLY, New Jersey -- A New Jersey judge sentenced William Gennett to 30 years in prison for strangling a female friend to death.

WPVI says William Gennett will not be eligible to seek parole under the sentence imposed Thursday. He had been convicted in June on murder and stalking charges.

Burlington County prosecutors said the 55-year-old man and 45-year-old Shannon O'Rourke were friends, but Gennett was using a cellphone app that allowed him to track her whereabouts without her knowledge.

According to court document, Gennett killed O'Rourke in July 2016 in her home when she rejected his attempts to turn their friendship into a romantic relationship.