A Mission man received a 20-year prison sentence on Monday after pleading guilty to beating his wife, Hidalgo County District Attorney Toribio "Terry" Palacios announced.

Miguel Mariscal III, 30, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon against a family member, according to a news release.

The wife suffered trauma to her face and skull in the beating, and a medical evaluation later determined she had suffered neurological injuries and strokes, the release added.

The investigation began when deputies with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Mission-area home and found Mariscal's wife unconscious with severe injuries to her face.

Mariscal initially told deputies he and his wife had been drinking that evening and that he had blacked out and woken up to find his wife on the bedroom floor.

As part of his guilty plea, Mariscal admitted he caused serious bodily injury to his wife by striking her with an unknown object, the release states.

"This is a serious sentence for a serious offense," Palacios said in a statement. "Only a coward would do what Mariscal did to his wife. I hope others in our community learn from this case and understand that there are serious consequences for those who harm the people they should treat with love and respect."