FARGO, N.D. — A man convicted in the November stabbing deaths of his ex-girlfriend and another man in Fargo was sentenced Friday to two life terms without parole.

David Stevens pleaded guilty in January to killing Samantha Wickenheiser, 23, of Fargo, N.D., and Ward Berg, 30, of Moorhead in Wickenheiser’s north Fargo apartment. Wickenheiser is the mother of Stevens’ two young sons.

The defense argued that the 35-year-old Stevens had a miserable childhood, saying he was beaten by his father and sexually assaulted by his uncle. Stevens asked for a term of life with parole, which would’ve made him eligible to get out in 35 years.

Stevens, dressed in orange prison clothes and handcuffed, apologized for his actions and said he became sick after the stabbings.

Assistant Cass County State’s Attorney Tristan Van de Streek argued in a sentencing memorandum that the “gravity of the crimes” called for the maximum penalty.