Sudana pa and jenny chumbley

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - An eastern Kentucky man who says he killed his wife to end her suffering has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Ernest "Chris" Chumbley pleaded guilty last month to a manslaughter charge that allowed him to avoid a murder trial.

He has been in jail since the August 2013 shooting.

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Chumbley called 911 minutes after shooting his wife, Virginia "Jenny" Chumbley, saying she was a cancer patient.

He later said she had asked him to die.

Laurel County Commonwealth's Attorney Jackie Steele said the 50-year-old Chumbley was sentenced Thursday in accordance with the plea agreement.

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The shooting and Chumbley's statements that it was a mercy killing came amid an ongoing national debate over right-to-die issues.

Five states - Montana, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and most recently Cal