PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for shooting to death his father at the family home in Gretna, a western suburb of Omaha.

Steven Braesch was sentenced on Monday in Sarpy County District Court. He’d been convicted of first-degree murder, a weapons charge and three counts of negligent child abuse. Investigators say Braesch shot his dad, 69-year-old William Braesch, five times within the clear view of three children under the age of 7. They are the slain man’s granddaughters.

Defense attorneys argued that their client should have been charged with manslaughter because the slaying occurred during a heated argument. They also argued that Steve Braesch’s mental health problems contributed to his mental state.