(AP) — A 46-year-old Missouri man has been given life in prison for the 1989 murder of a Nebraska woman.

Judge Karen Noakes sentenced John Oldson on Monday in St. Paul, Neb., telling Oldson that he was a dangerous man from whom the public needed protection.

A Howard County jury had found the 46-year-old Oldson, of Randolph, Mo., guilty of second-degree murder. He was charged with killing 31-year-old Catherine Beard, a waitress from Ord. She disappeared in 1989. Her remains were found outside Ord in 1992.

Oldson, who used to live in Ord, was interviewed in 1989 but not arrested. He was arrested a year ago in Missouri. Authorities say new evidence and witnesses led to his arrest.

Oldson’s attorney says Oldson likely will appeal.