NEW ROCKFORD, N.D. (AP) - A man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for killing an 83-year-old retired farmer who family members said was struck on the head with a golf club.

Leslie Olafson, 58, of New Rockford, had pleaded guilty in August to a Class A murder charge.

In sentencing Olafson on Wednesday, Judge John Greenwood gave him 294 days of credit for time already served in custody.

Olafson was accused of killing Selmer Veen, who was found dead in the garage of his New Rockford home on July 10, 2005. Prosecutors said he had been struck on the head and strangled.

Olafson was found later that night, lying injured in a ditch after rolling his car on a gravel road near Hamar, about 35 miles from New Rockford. A golf club later was found next to a tree near Veen's home.

Olafson remained hospitalized for months, and was not arrested until December, some five months after he was charged. Eddy County officials refused to take custody of him until his health improved, saying the county could not afford to pay for his care.