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A fire expert estimated the temperature of the blaze at between 1,800 and 2,000 degrees Celsius, Sawa told Justice Karen Horner.

It took DNA testing to confirm the remains were Degayo’s. The case remained unsolved until police launched an undercover operation in 2015, Sawa said.

During the sting Redelback confessed to killing his wife.

Both Sawa and defence counsel Balfour Der jointly proposed a sentence of 15 years, a submission accepted by Horner.

With credit for time already behind bars, Redelback, 48, will have another 12 years and nine months to serve.

Horner also ordered the Red Deer native to serve a minimum of half that time before he can apply for parole, although Redelback will not be guaranteed his release at that time.

“Mr. Redelback, your crime was senseless, you deprived a son of his mother and a family of their daughter,” the Court of Queen’s Bench judge said.

“You did extreme violence on Ms. Degayo and then violated her body in a way that prevented her family from identifying her body and from her cause of death being identified.”

If Redelback had been convicted of murder, he would have faced a life term without parole for a minimum 10 years, although because the case involved domestic violence his parole ineligibility would likely have been much higher.

Following Horner’s ruling, Degayo’s sister, Riza Fornier, said justice was finally done.

“This is the moment that we’ve been waiting for after almost 11 years praying day and night, months after months, years after years for this day to come,” the Orlando, Fla., resident said.

“This day is a victorious day for us, for Ruth and for Justin, Justin is the most who suffered,” she said.

“He will suffer the loss of his mom.”

Fornier said her sister will live on in the memories of family members.

“She’s gonna always be in our heart, no matter what we will always remember her.”

Sawa said the guilty plea was the culmination of hard work by police in solving the cold case.

“Everything fell into place, that we were able to provide some sort of justice for the family,” he said.

KMartin@postmedia.com

Twitter/KMartinCourts