HOULTON — A judge has sentenced a teenager to 40 years in prison for his role in a brutal killing in Houlton.

Samuel Geary was 16 at the time of the killing of Keith Suitter in 2015, but was charged as an adult.

He pleaded guilty in May to a murder charge after his effort to keep the case in juvenile court failed. Another defendant, Reginald Dobbins, was convicted in June and will be sentenced later.

Suitter, a military veteran, ran a painting business and lived alone. Officials say the 61-year-old was beaten and stabbed to death on March 1, 2015.

Law enforcement described the case as a drug-related killing. The hammer believed to have killed Suitter was found in the home of Dobbins, who was 18 at the time.