MILFORD, Conn. (AP) A 34-year-old man apologized for shooting a deli clerk in West Haven to death during a 2011 robbery before being sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Marquis Pettway of New Haven was sentenced Wednesday in Milford Superior Court for the killing of 22-year-old Mohamed Bilal ``Billy'' Altinawi at a family-owned deli on Route 1. He pleaded guilty to murder in January.

Authorities say Pettway shot Altinawi point-blank in the face with a shotgun and made off with about $2,500, cigarettes and stamps.

The New Haven Register reports that Pettway apologized in court to Altinawi's relatives and friends. He said he can't change what he did and doesn't deserve mercy. Altinawi's relatives said they were devastated by his death.

Two co-defendants await sentencing on robbery charges.