Jack Sepple admitted killing Ashley Wadsworth, a 19-year-old from Vernon, B.C., at his home in February

A British man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a Vernon, B.C., teenager who moved to England last year to meet him.

Essex Police said in a statement that Jack Sepple, 23, will spend a minimum of 23½ years in prison for the death of Ashley Wadsworth.

Wadsworth, 19, was stabbed and strangled during a sustained attack in Sepple’s Chelmsford, U.K., home on Feb. 1.

Police said Wadsworth had texted two friends that day saying she needed help and wanted to leave. These were followed by messages saying everything was “sorted,” which officials later determined were sent after her death.

During a trial preparation hearing in Chelmsford Crown Court last month, Sepple admitted to the killing. Wadsworth had moved to England last year to be with Sepple after the two met online.

In a statement shared by police, Wadsworth’s mother Christy Gedron said she was a beautiful and smart young woman who was “the backbone of our little family.”