The young Richmond, B.C. man convicted of killing his mother and disposing of her body in a suitcase has been sentenced to life in prison.

Yuan Xi “William” Tang, who beat his mother to death while she was visiting from China, will have to serve 17 years before he’s eligible for parole, according to his lawyer.

The 25-year-old was found guilty of second-degree murder last month. A jury spent more than a week deliberating on whether to convict him of that charge or first-degree murder, which would have prevented him from applying for parole for 25 years.

Jurors ultimately determined the act was not premeditated.

Tang’s mother, 47-year-old Lianjie Guo, went missing during a visit to Canada with her husband in June 2012.

Her badly decomposed body was eventually found in a suitcase, which police believe was dumped off the coast of Richmond and floated to the Sunshine Coast.