LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A Yutan man sentenced to life in prison in the 1999 slaying his wife, a popular high school volleyball coach, has been denied parole.

Mark Schnabel was convicted of beating 40-year-old Sandy Schnabel, placing her under the wheel of the family minivan and setting the vehicle on fire. Authorities say Schnabel tried to stage her death as an accident.

Schnabel pleaded no contest to second-degree murder. He was denied parole Thursday.

Judge Mary Gilbride had intended to sentence Schnabel to life in prison without parole, but failed to include a minimum sentence in her order. Gilbride tried to amend her sentenced but the Nebraska Supreme Court rejected the attempt in 2000, making Schnabel eligible for parole after 10 years in prison.

The Nebraska Board of Parole didn’t grant Schnabel a hearing until this year.