ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- A man who pleaded guilty in a 2011 murder of a young boy has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, reports CBS affiliate WSPA.

William Godfrey Hedden, 28, pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of 4-year-old Trenton Michael Scott.

On April 19, 2011, detectives from the Buncombe County Sheriff's Department were called to a Candler home after a 911 call was made by the victim's mother. Upon arrival, they found the child non-responsive and presumed dead, according to the station.

An autopsy later showed that the boy died from a cut to his liver caused by blows to his abdomen and chest. It also showed that the boy had been strangled, while also suffering broken ribs, a fractured skull, bite marks, cuts and bruises.

The boy also had a blood alcohol level of 0.12 percent, according to WSPA. In North Carolina, 0.08 percent is the legal limit to drive.

"By obtaining a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole and by ensuring that William Hedden will never walk at liberty in our society so long as he lives, our justice system has achieved a small degree of finality and closure for the families of Trenton Scott who have all suffered immensely in this very sad and tragic case," District Attorney Todd Williams said.