ST. LOUIS • The man accused of the ambush killing of University City police Sgt. Michael King last year was sentenced Thursday to almost 23 years in federal prison on an unrelated drug charge.

Todd L. Shepard, 42, was named less than a week after King's murder with a federal gun charge, and indicted on a drug charge in early December. He was convicted in September by a federal jury here of the felony cocaine conspiracy charge.

Shepard's trial on charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in King's death is pending in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

There was no mention of the murder charges during Shepard's drug trial or sentencing.

In front of roughly 18 uniformed police officers who were watching the proceedings, Shepard's federal public defender, Kevin Curran, argued for the low end of the 262-to-327-month range suggested by federal sentencing guidelines.

Curran said that Shepard was already facing more prison because of a criminal history that earned him a "career offender" label. Curran also noted that the low end of the guidelines would be three times longer than any previous prison time he'd served.

Arguing for the maximum, Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean Hoag cited Shepard's criminal record and his admitted 20-year drug dealing career.

Shepard declined to speak.

There was little reaction from the assembled officers or Shepard when U.S. District Judge E. Richard Webber sentenced him to 275 months.

By phone after the hearing, Hoag said, "I'm real pleased with the verdict and that amount of time."

Investigators have said that there was no connection between the drug conspiracy and the murder.

Hoag did say that there was some indication that Shepard was angry on the day of the murder, either because of the quantity or quality of drugs he had just received.

Shepard's girlfriend told investigators last year that he "frequently spoke of killing a police officer and ending the unfair treatment of blacks and lower-class people by the government," according to court documents.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch said that the federal case has no effect on the state prosecution, in which he is seeking a death sentence. University City police did not return a call seeking comment.

King, 50, was in uniform and sitting in his patrol car on Leland Avenue just off Delmar Boulevard when he was shot. King was a 25-year veteran of the force, husband, hunter, fisherman, world traveler and mentor to younger officers.

Shepard was honorably discharged from the Army, had a high school education and used a variety of illegal drugs: marijuana, cocaine crack, heroin and amphetamines during his lifetime, Webber said.