A man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing a classmate.

A Fort Bend County jury found Richard Mendoza guilty of killing Christopher Allen Daigle.

Daigle was 17 when he disappeared in 2002. Detectives said Mendoza fatally shot Daigle in a rural area between Arcola and Juliff and left his body there.

Mendoza and Daigle had been friends and played baseball together since they were 5 years old, investigators said.

Mendoza must serve at least 25 years of his sentence before he will be eligible for parole.