A San Juan man who was found guilty of beating a woman to death was sentenced to 65 years in prison.

The sentencing against Lamar Lawson was set Thursday, two days after he was convicted of murder.

Lawson was accused of beating Sonya De La Cruz to death at a McAllen motel in November 2017.

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Prosecutors argued Lawson had a sexual encounter with De La Cruz. When De La Cruz attempted to collect money from Lawson, he refused and began to beat her, prosecutors say.

Lawson's attorneys say he hit De La Cruz in self-defense after she tried to attack him with a knife.