Kansas City, Mo. ? A man accused of throwing his seriously ill wife four stories to her death last year has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Stanley Reimer entered the plea Friday in Jackson County Circuit Court and was sentenced to life in prison.

Reimer will have to serve a little more than 25 years before he is eligible for parole.

Prosecutors have said the 52-year-old Reimer threw his wife, Criste Reimer, from the balcony of their Kansas City apartment in August 2007 because he could no longer afford to pay for her medical care.

Court records indicate that the 47-year-old Criste Reimer, who had neurological problems, had been in poor health for several years. Her weight had fallen to 75 pounds and she was partially blind.

The court records also state that she had no health insurance to pay for medical bills that ranged from $700 to $800 per week.

Criste Reimer’s body was found lying on a sidewalk outside the high-rise apartment building, near the upscale Country Club Plaza shopping district.

Officers who went to the scene found Stanley Reimer in the apartment. According to a probable cause statement filed with the court, the husband told officers that “something bad” happened to his wife and that she “didn’t jump.”

He later told authorities that he had thrown her to her death because he was facing financial difficulties and could no longer pay for his wife’s medical needs. He said he walked his wife to the balcony off their bedroom, kissed her, picked her up and then threw her off the balcony, according to the probable cause statement.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar said Criste Reimer’s family was told about the plea arrangement in advance and was satisfied with it.