ORLANDO, Fla. -- Sanel Saint Simon, the man convicted of first-degree murder in the 2014 slaying of his girlfriend's teenage daughter, will spend the rest of his life in prison.

A judge on Tuesday sentenced him to life without the possibility of parole in the killing of 16-year-old Alexandria Chery, whose body was found in a wooded area by Osceola Polk Line Road.

Saint Simon also received 15 years for aggravated child abuse and five years for making false statements to law enforcement.

He maintained his innocence through the trial. But on Tuesday at the Orange County Courthouse in downtown Orlando, Saint Simon expressed remorse.

""I would like to say to my wife I'm sorry, I had no idea what happened, what's going on," he said to the court. "I can understand her pain. The pain is mine as well, as she was my daughter as well. I regret what happened. I will say again that I do not know what happened. I don't know. I don't know where my daughter is. I don't know. And my mind is wondering, wondering. I wish that she will be able to find comfort. I will help her carry the burden, the pain, and I still love her."