An American minor was handed an indefinite prison term of between five and 10 years Tuesday for killing an Irish exchange student in May last year.

The 19-year-old defendant, whose name was withheld because he is a minor, was found guilty by the Tokyo District Court of strangling Nicola Furlong, 21, in his Shinjuku hotel room with ¡°intent to kill.¡±

In handing down the sentence, presiding Judge Masaharu Ashizawa said the defendant deserves grave punishment and harshly criticized his testimony, which portrayed the victim as a promiscuous drug user.