Andrew Garcia was sentenced yesterday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. He was convicted of first-degree murder and other charges in June.
Authorities say 24-year-old Xinran Ji was attacked with a baseball bat and wrench as he walked home after a late-night study session in 2014.
Ji's family wept during the sentencing. His father, Songbo Ji, sobbed as he told the court in Mandarin that his son was killed viciously.