DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2007 ambush slaying of a drug informant.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Frances McGee sentenced 41-year-old Anthony Croom to life without parole. The Dayton Daily News ( http://bit.ly/zWIwv0 ) reports that on Tuesday she called the crime one of the most heinous she'd ever heard of.

Croom was convicted earlier of aggravated murder and four other charges. Authorities say Croom was hired to kill Anthony Hurd to prevent the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration confidential informant from testifying against three Richmond, Ind., men accused of dealing cocaine. The cases were dropped after Hurd's death.

Hurd was shot repeatedly at a service station along Interstate 70 near Dayton.

Croom told the judge he would pray for the Hurd family.

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Information from: Dayton Daily News, http://www.daytondailynews.com