SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) — A state judge has upheld the life sentences without the possibility of parole for a North Idaho man who pleaded guilty to stabbing his wife to death and killing their unborn child in Priest River.

The Bonner County Daily Bee reports that 1st District Judge Benjamin Simpson on Tuesday declined a request by 28-year-old Jeremy Keith Swanson to lift his parole restriction, saying the sentence reflects the severity of the crime.

Swanson pleaded guilty to murder counts for the Dec. 18, 2012 deaths of Jennifer Bosch-Swanson and their unborn daughter. Defense attorneys sought leniency, arguing Swanson suffered from major depressive disorder with psychotic features and had the potential to be rehabilitated. Prosecutor Louis Marshall said the state already extended leniency to Swanson when the death penalty was taken off the table as part of a plea agreement.

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