A New Jersey woman convicted of killing and dismembering her husband may not be eligible for parole until she's 98.

Thirty-four-year-old Melanie McGuire was convicted in April of killing and cutting up William McGuire, putting his remains in three suitcases and dumping them into the Chesapeake Bay. The suitcases washed ashore near Virginia Beach in 2004.

In a memo obtained by Gannett New Jersey, prosecutors asked a judge to order Melanie McGuire be given life in prison.

Under New Jersey law, that means she would have a 75-year sentence and not be eligible for parole until she had served 85 percent of it. That would mean being locked up until she is 98.

Prosecutors say she deserves such a harsh sentence because of the ruthless nature of the killing.

McGuire's lawyers are asking for the minimum sentence of 30 years in prison.

She'll be sentenced July 19.