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ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A man pleaded guilty to fatally shooting a convenience store owner in 1998 and was sentenced Wednesday to 20 to 40 years in state prison. John Edinger, 44, of Emmaus, apologized to the family of Adel Malek as he pleaded guilty to third-degree murder in Lehigh County Court. "My intentions were never to hurt anyone like this," he said. "I struggled for 17 years with this." He began crying as he faced Malek's daughter while he was being taken back to jail. Police said the 59-year-old Malek was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside his Apotheca Store in Allentown in July 1998. Authorities said Edinger told detectives he was "dope sick" and looking for drug money and fired after the store owner stabbed him in the leg. Judge Robert Steinberg said the victim was beloved by his family and the community, and he didn't think a jury "would have had any trouble convicting" the defendant. "You may not have robbed Mr. Malek of his money, but you robbed him of his life," he told Edinger. In a victim-impact statement read in court, the victim's daughter said Edinger had 17 years of freedom, while her family mourned the loss of a loving, generous man from Egypt who worked seven days a week and would help anyone who needed it. "People still remember what you have (taken) away from us," she wrote. "You have taken the sunshine out of our lives." The judge said her father would not want her life destroyed by his death but would want her to live a life that would make him proud. "You have a legacy...a legacy you can continue," the judge said. "I hope you will."

Man who killed store owner gets 20 to 40 years in prison