WAHOO, Neb. -- A Nebraska man who was found guilty of murdering his fiancée received a life sentence on Monday. 

A Saunders County jury found Kolton Barnes guilty of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of 27-year-old Kayla Matulka in July of 2020 at their home in Malmo.

According to Investigators at the time that Barnes killed Matulka and her dog, he left the bodies for Matulka's young children to find. 

According to a court affidavit, Barnes was sentenced to life for 1st-degree murder. 

Barnes was also convicted on two counts of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, for which he will serve between 40-50 years on each charge. 

Barnes was also sentenced to 2-3 years for the felony charge of intentional cruelty to an animal.

He also faces two one-year sentences for separate negligent child abuse charges. Additionally, he faces 1-2 years in prison for tampering with physical evidence.

Barnes was turned over to the Nebraska Department of Corrections following his sentencing.