A Nova Scotia man who admitted to killing his common-law wife and her daughter has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 18 years.

Gerald Rushton was sentenced in Nova Scotia Supreme Court Tuesday afternoon after pleading guilty on Sept. 29 to two counts of second-degree murder.

Rushton told the court Tuesday morning that the deaths of 24-year-old Brittany MacPherson and 53-year-old Elizabeth MacPherson were needless and that the pain extends far beyond the courtroom. He also said he takes responsibility for their deaths and that he will bear the weight and disgrace of his actions forever.

Family members of the victims were also in court and several broke down as they read victim impact statements. Brittany’s grandmother said her granddaughter will never live to achieve her goals and that her death still doesn’t feel real.

“They're holding up as well as can be expected,” said Crown attorney Allison Brown. “It's been a long, hard three years. It's been a lot of emotional strain and turmoil.”

Elizabeth’s sister-in-law told the court her whole life has been shaken and the violent nature of their deaths still haunts her.

Elizabeth’s best friend said she has suffered from depression and grief ever since, and her husband has given up his job to care for her.

Both women were found dead inside a Bible Hill, N.S. home on Dec. 27, 2013.

Rushton admitted in an agreed statement of facts that he got into a heated argument with his common-law wife's daughter, who was visiting the family home.

The statement says the young woman became agitated and verbally abusive before Rushton hit her repeatedly with a baseball bat that had a paperback book taped to the end. She died at the scene from head injuries.

Later that day, Elizabeth MacPherson -- Rushton's partner for 15 years -- returned home. He hit MacPherson with a hammer and she fell to the floor, where he hit her again, court heard.

She died from "blunt force injury to the head," but the statement of facts says Rushton also used a knife to cut her throat.

Rushton then attempted suicide by cutting his own throat and left wrist. In a suicide note, he apologized for his weaknesses and declared that he loved both women.

Police say Rushton called 911 and left the line open. When officers arrived at the home on Pictou Road, they found Rushton's white husky barking at them, its face spattered with blood.

Inside the house, they discovered Rushton laying partially on his dead wife, both of them surrounded by a large pool of blood.

Three days after Rushton was arrested and charged, he again attempted suicide by deliberately falling backwards from a second-floor balcony at a provincial jail in the Halifax area.

The defence argued that Rushton has no prior violent history and has expressed regret and grief for his actions. It recommended that Rushton be eligible for parole in 10 to 15 years.

The Crown was pleased with the verdict.

"Crown were asking for between 18 and 20 years, which was in line with the principles and purposes of sentencing, as well as the relevant case law," said Brown.

However, the Crown said Rushton committed two murders which were the ‘ultimate breach of trust’ and declined anger management training while under remand. It recommended no chance of parole for 18 to 20 years.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ron Shaw and The Canadian Press