A Murrieta man was sentenced Friday to 46 years to life in prison for the shooting death of his wife, then setting the couple’s house on fire to cover it up.

Freddy Perez Rodas, 29, did not deny killing his wife. But he testified in his trial in September that he shot Laura Perez, an Escondido police officer, in a fit of passion and rage over a possible affair.

The jury found him guilty Oct. 7 of second-degree murder and arson and found that he used a firearm. In cross-examining Perez Rodas, prosecutor Mike Cabral attempted to debunk the defendant’s claim that the killing was not planned.

Perez Rodas told a neighbor and police that his wife might be inside the burning Grand Oaks Court residence on July 23, 2014.

But an investigation by Murrieta detectives led them to a storage unit in Moreno Valley that had been rented by Perez Rodas. Inside, they found the victim’s body.

They also found two loaded handguns, about $100,000 in cash, passports, a pick and a shovel, according to a Riverside County District Attorney’s Office news release.

During Perez Rodas’ sentencing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta, Judge John Monterosso called the actions of the defendant “callous and cold,” called his testimony “an arrogant justification” and said he believed the defendant showed no remorse, the news release stated.

Laura Perez had been an Escondido police officer for about nine months.

During the sentencing hearing, Escondido police Capt. Michael Loarie described her as an officer “destined for greatness” within the department.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9075 or gwesson@pe.com