AKRON, Ohio -- On Friday, a Mercer County native convicted of orchestrating her husband's death was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

A jury convicted Donna Moonda of planning the death of her husband, Dr. Gulam Moonda. Donna Moonda hired her lover, Damien Bradford, to kill her husband along the Ohio Turnpike in May 2005.

It's a crime Moonda still denies she committed. During Friday's hearing, Moonda broke down and told the judge, "If I never met Damian Bradford, Gulam would be alive today. He only saw me as a dollar sign."

At times trying to catch her breath through her sobs, Moonda said she admitted her marriage to Dr. Gulam Moonda was over but she insisted she did not hire Bradford to kill her husband.

Moonda was convicted of murder for hire, interstate stalking and two counts of using a firearm during a crime of violence.

Meanwhile, 26-year-old Damian Bradford is also going to prison for his role in Dr. Moonda's death.

In return for a plea deal, Bradford admitted he shot Dr. Moonda at the request of Donna Moonda.

Bradford pleaded guilty to interstate stalking and using a firearm during a felony. He also testified against Donna Moonda.

Bradford was sentenced to 17½ years in prison. He is serving his time in a high-security federal prison in Atlanta.