MADISON, Wis. -- A judge in Fond du Lac has sentenced a man accused of killing a young go-go dancer more than three decades ago to life in prison.

Prosecutors accused Thomas Niesen, 53, of Ashwaubenon, of slashing Kathleen Leichtman's throat in July 1976 and leaving her body by the side of a road. Leichtman, of Milwaukee, had come to Fond du Lac to dance at The Other Place bar.

Police arrested Niesen in February after analysts said they determined DNA showed he had sex with Leichtman up to 26 hours before she died.

A jury found Niesen guilty of first-degree murder in September. Fond du Lac County Circuit Judge Dale L. English handed down the sentence Friday.