A judge on Wednesday sentenced a 19-year-old man convicted of killing a taxi driver to 20 years in prison.

"There were no deficiencies when he engaged in that brutal beating. There were no borderline functioning problems when he assaulted an unarmed man who had done nothing to him. So there are no excuse for what he did," said Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bell.

A judge convicted Michael Robles of manslaughter in June.

Robles' sentencing had been delayed a month so his attorney could investigate new information he received.

Robles' attorney could have asked Judge Dexter Del Rosario for probation, but instead asked that his client be sentenced for eight years as a youthful offender instead of a maximum 20 for manslaughter.

There is something in him that knows there is a line here that was crossed so it's an insult to the family if he even asked," said Attorney William Jameson.

Robles admitted during trial that he and his friend Kilani Derego hit cab driver Charlys Tang in May 2010 to avoid paying the fare. Robles, who was 18 at the time of the killing, admitted in court he was drunk and high on marijuana the night of April 30, 2010. He said he did not kill Tang and tried to get Derego to stop beating the driver.

Derego must now go on trial.