Man gets 10 years to life in ’06 slaying

The California man who pleaded guilty to killing a prostitute at Mandalay Bay and leaving her naked body in the 25th-floor hallway was sentenced to 10 years to life Tuesday.

James Flansburg, 40, was arrested in April 2006 in the death of 22-year-old Bridget Gray. He pleaded guilty in May to second-degree murder.

Flansburg was staying at the hotel for a convention when he met Gray. The two went up to his room and Flansburg told police he caught her going through his pockets.

He told police he was drunk when he choked her to death.

Her uncle Dana Gray told District Judge Valorie Vega at the sentencing that his niece, whom he held as a baby and taught to drive, will be missed.

Flansburg apologized to the family. His attorney, Edward Kane, argued for a sentence of 10 to 25 years, saying Flansburg suffered from alcohol addiction and was sincerely remorseful.

Prosecutor Giancarlo Pesci argued for the life sentence, saying the gravity of the penalty might prevent him from resorting to alcohol and drugs again.