A man convicted this week of second-degree murder has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after refusing to reveal the location of his victim's body in exchange for a lighter sentence.

William Taylor, 26, killed Timothy Salsman, 23, over a $1,500 drug debt in 2004, near the community of Provost, on the Saskatchewan border, the court was told.

He was found guilty on Monday and sentenced late Thursday.

During the trial, a witness testified that Taylor told him he beat Salsman and after the young man died, he cut his hands and head off with a skill saw, and dumped him in a swamp somewhere near the Saskatchewan border.

Salsman's body has never been found.

Queen's Court Justice Vital Ouellette, calling the murder cruel and sadistic, told Taylor that he could shorten his time behind bars before parole if he revealed where to find the body.

But Taylor turned down the deal, telling the court he's innocent and that the body will show up one day.

Connie Johnson, Salsman's aunt, said Thursday that Taylor knows where her nephew's body lies because he left him somewhere to rot.

"Do you know how long his Mom and sister, for the first year, went through fields, and mud and snow, day and night with flashlights trying to find him? And he is still out there. No one has found him," she said.