SEATTLE - The man who killed former radio talk show host Mike Webb with an ax was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday.

The sentencing came after Scott Brian White, 28, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the case last month, and was significantly longer than prosecutors were seeking.

But before the judge made his decision, family members urged him to consider the harshness of the crime.

"Your honor, I'm simply here to say that our little family has stuck together for these last two and a half years, and I beg you to not let another family go through this at his hand," said Wayne Webb, the victim's brother. "Michael surely didn't deserve to die at all, much less at the hand of an ax murderer."

White spoke up as well, pleading for mercy.

"With compassion and understanding, I realize that this devastating event has affected everything worthwhile in the family's life. And I am truly very sorry," he said.

In handing out the 20-year prison term, Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell called White "cunning, callous and calculated." He said the murder was one of the top two most brutal murders he's ever seen.

White bludgeoned Webb in the head and face with a double-bladed ax about 2 1/2 years ago as Webb lay in bed, then hid his body in a crawl space.

The murder was so unspeakable that prosecutors originally sought a first-degree murder conviction. But a psychiatric evaluation eventually convinced them it was a conviction they could not win, since it would be difficult or impossible to prove the killing was premeditated.

"His ability to premeditate (murder) was severely hampered by his mental health issues," King County Assistant Prosecutor Don Raz said earlier.

Instead, prosecutors asked for a change of plea to second-degree murder, and White pleaded guilty to the charge.

Prosecutors had sought a 12-year prison term, and the defense was seeking an 8 1/2-year sentence.

Judge Ramsdell opted for a 20-year sentence because of the brutality of the crime and cover-up that followed.

Family members said they had feared White might get a shorter sentence, and praised the judge for his decision.

"We'll be able to move forward a little bit now - it's been a long two years and three months," said Mike Webb's brother, Wayne Webb. "We're grateful the judge has a head on his shoulders. ... I'm grateful for the judge's common sense on this case."

White himself read a letter in the courtroom Friday, trying to apologize to the family.

Prosecutors say White and Webb were in bed together when White got up on the pretext of having a cigarette. He then grabbed an ax from under the bed and bludgeoned Webb.

Charging documents did not provide a specific motive, but said detectives said that White stole a car and money from Webb, and had pawned several electronic items from Webb's home.

Webb, 51, hosted a late night talk show for 10 years on Seattle's KIRO Radio station. KIRO Radio fired Webb in December 2005, shortly after he was charged with insurance fraud.

Prosecutors said he filed a fraudulent insurance claim after a traffic accident in June 2005, and Webb was convicted of insurance fraud in February 2006, sentenced to 240 hours of community service and fined $1,000.

White and Webb met in November 2006 and had lived together for a while, court documents said.

A property manager cleaning out Webb's rented Queen Anne-area found his decomposed body in late June beneath boxes and a tarp in a basement crawl space.

Webb was last seen April 13, 2007, and Webb's sister filed a missing-person report in mid-May of that year. His family members and friends had continued to receive text messages from Webb's cell phone for a month after he disappeared, saying he was fine and going to leave town.

But they said the messages were out of character for Webb, containing misspellings and the signoff "Mike," although Webb did not sign his messages, charging papers said.

White was arrested after police located him in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood.

After his arrest, White initially denied killing Webb, but eventually told investigators that he had placed an ax under his side of the bed he shared with Webb and bludgeoned him in the early morning hours of April 14, 2007, court documents said.

An autopsy concluded Webb suffered five cuts across his face, as well as a skull fracture, consistent with an ax. He also suffered several stab wounds.

White said he then put a plastic bag over Webb's head, duct-taped his hands and used the tape as a handle to drag the body down the stairs and hid it in the basement. A double-bladed ax was found near the body, court papers said.

White also admitted sending the fake text messages, and taking Webb's money and personal property, the charging documents said.