The man dubbed the CNN Center shooter was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for the April 2007 murder of his ex-girlfriend at the downtown Atlanta hotel where she worked.

A Fulton County judge handed down the sentence immediately after a jury found Arthur Mann guilty of murder, kidnapping and other charges in the shooting of Clara Riddles, 22, of Fairburn.

The lunchtime shooting created chaos at one of the city's most popular landmarks about 14 hours after the nearby Georgia Dome hosted the NCAA basketball championship game.

On April 3, 2007, Mann went to the Omni Hotel, where Riddles worked stocking honor bars in rooms, to confront her.

She had wanted out of their year-long relationship.

They exchanged words; Mann dragged Riddles by her hair down an escalator and tried to force her to leave.

When she resisted, he shot her in the stomach and near the back of her head in front of numerous witnesses.

Then a security guard named Odell Adams shot Mann.

Mann survived. Riddles was pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Riddles' relatives described Mann as soft-spoken and mild-mannered. The couple met when they both worked at a Burger King restaurant.

But Mann had an extensive criminal record, having served prison time — most of it in Florida — for killing someone during a robbery, having sex with a minor and stealing cars.