A Blount County man was sentenced today in the 2021 killing of his wife.

Circuit Judge Greg Reid sentenced Bryan Craig Fox. 54, to life in prison with the possibility of parole. A jury in September deliberated 15 minutes before finding Fox guilty of murder and unlawful possession of a firearm in the slaying of Sharon Teal Askew.

Fox has maintained that he feared for his life when he killed his wife. The judge on Friday said he did not believe that to be the case.

District Attorney Pamela Casey said prosecutors are pleased with the sentence handed down by the judge.

“Sharon was killed in a horrific act of violence,’’ Casey said. “He will have a long time to think about the wrong he did.”

Fox called 911 at 6:06 p.m. on Nov. 21, 2021, and told authorities his 53-year-old wife put her hands on him and he shot her.

Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the home to find Askew in front of the couch on the living room floor with a single gunshot wound to the head.

As other officers arrived at the residence, Fox repeatedly said, “She put her hands on me, and I shot her.”

Casey said prosecutors in the September trial presented evidence that Fox had dinner at a local restaurant that evening. Less than 10 minutes after arriving at their Moorer Lane home, Fox shot Askew on the couch.

Fox testified in his own defense, Casey said, and told the jury he walked into the living room to try to talk to his wife when a physical altercation ensued.

According to Fox, he walked up to the couch and his wife attempted to stand. Fox then pushed Askew back onto the couch.

Fox said Askew then reached for the pistol he had holstered in a gun belt around his waist. He told the jury he believed his wife would shoot him if she gained control of his pistol, leaving him no choice but to shoot her to save his own life.

Prosecutors, however, presented photographs of the scene that showed nothing was disturbed or out of place in the area around Askew’s body, including a TV dinner tray and a Christmas tree.

Evidence was also presented that Fox was engaged in an extra-marital affair.

This case was investigated by sheriff’s Lt. Chad Long with the Blount County Sheriff’s Department.