Audrain County man sentenced to 30 years for wife's shooting death

WARRENTON, Mo. (AP) - A mid-Missouri man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the shooting death of his wife.

Ricky J. Harding Jr., of Mexico, was sentenced Thursday for second-degree murder and several other charges for killing his wife, Summer Harding, at their rural Mexico home.

The Mexico Ledger reports (http://bit.ly/1PbEGRo) after the sentencing, Harding shouted a profanity as he was being taken to a holding cell. His defense had claimed Summer Harding accidentally shot herself after the couple argued in May 2014. Ricky Harding's attorney says the conviction will be appealed.

Several of Summer Harding's relatives, including all four of her children, read victim impact statements before the sentencing.

Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney Jacob Shellabarger called the sentence a "just, fair and firm result."