A Southern California doctor who was convicted of strangling his wife and then calling 911 and saying she’d fallen down the stairs was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison Friday, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.

E. Scott Sills, a fertility doctor, was convicted by a jury in December of second-degree murder in the death of Susann Sills.

An attorney for Sills argued to jurors that Susann Sills did fall down the stairs of their San Clemente home. The attorney said that she had been experiencing migraines and painkillers may have made her disoriented.

Prosecutors alleged that blood stains were found on a wall and curtains in the bedroom where she had been sleeping, and a clump of her hair showed evidence of a struggle.

Sills called 911 on the morning of Nov. 16, 2016, and said his wife appeared to have fallen down the stairs, the district attorney’s office said.

Evidence showed she had been strangled, prosecutors said.

Ellis was arrested and charged in 2019.

“Mr. Sills not only killed his wife but he went one step further and tried to cover up his horrific crime,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.

The sentence of 15 years to life was the maximum sentence on the charge on which Sills was convicted.

Sills’ attorney did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment late Friday afternoon.