Harrell Johnson denied at his sentencing that he was guilty of the slaying of Erica Green, The Kansas City Star reported. But Jackson County Judge John Torrence said the crime was so vile Johnson should die in prison and denied him parole while adding almost three consecutive decades to the life sentence.

Erica's headless body was found in Kansas City, Mo., in 2001. But the 3-year-old was not identified until 2005 and in the meantime was known as Precious Doe.

The little girl was identified and her mother and Johnson arrested after a relative in Oklahoma called police in Kansas City. Johnson and Michelle Green had married by that time.

Johnson was convicted in October of first-degree murder, endangering the welfare of a child and child abuse causing death. Michelle Johnson received a 25-year prison sentence last month.