HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) A former Connecticut death row inmate has been re-sentenced to life in prison for the 2002 slaying of a single mother in Hartford.

The sentence for 33-year-old Lazale Ashby was converted Wednesday as a result of the state Supreme Court decision to end capital punishment.

Ashby raped and strangled Elizabeth Garcia inside her apartment as her 2-year-old daughter watched cartoons in another room.

The Hartford Courant reports the victim's daughter, who is now 17, spoke at the hearing and described the pain of never knowing her mother. She said Ashby ``should be deprived of his freedom and he must be reminded of the horrible things he's done.''

Ashby was linked to the crime by DNA evidence and convicted in 2008.