ELKHART, Ind. (AP) _ An Elkhart County man convicted of fatally stabbing a 17-year-old girl in a particularly grisly slaying has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors say 28-year-old Michael Shoun sliced Tiana Alter from her chest to groin and removed her kidney and small intestine at his home near Elkhart in November 2013. Shoun and the victim were high on synthetic marijuana at the time.

A jury convicted Shoun after deliberating for two hours Dec. 2. They recommended the sentence.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Vicki Becker says synthetic marijuana is a problem in Elkhart County and that the prosecutor's office and police have cracked down on several stores in the city of Elkhart that sold synthetic marijuana.