SAN DIEGO -- A man who was on parole for burglarizing his ex-girlfriend's home when he shot her in the back in a crowded East County bar was sentenced Friday to 77 years to life in state prison.

A jury on Aug. 27 convicted Carl Ray Jackson of attempted murder and assault with a semiautomatic firearm in the Oct. 29, 2006, shooting of Karen Vidrio at Shooters Cocktails on Jamacha Road.

Before sentencing, El Cajon Judge Allan J. Preckel denied Jackson's motion for a new trial and plea for probation.

Jackson's attorney, Rick Siref, said an appeal is planned because his client's previous attorney did not fully investigate Jackson's history of depression, anxiety and paranoia.

Jackson, 46, was sentenced under California's "three strikes" law, having been convicted of felonies against Vidrio in 2000 and 2002.

Siref unsuccessfully urged Preckel to impose a lighter sentence, saying Jackson was likely to die in prison if given a lengthy term.

But Deputy District Attorney Chantal De Mauregne argued that Jackson's mental history was thoroughly investigated and said he should have thought about his prison exposure before trying to kill Vidrio.

"He doesn't deserve to live any of his life out in society because of what he has done," the prosecutor said.

On the night of the shooting, Jackson went to the bar about 7 p.m. and waited for Vidrio to come out of the restroom, according to court testimony.

When she emerged, Jackson shot her once in the back as she ran for the door.

Bar patrons subdued Jackson and held him until police arrived.

His attorney claimed Jackson shot the woman in self-defense.

At the time of the attack, Vidrio, then 41, told authorities that she had dated Jackson three years earlier for about 18 months.

When he was arrested for shooting her, he had just been released from prison for burglarizing her residence in 2002.

He was convicted in 2000 for battery and vandalism against Vidrio.

According to court testimony, she was in a coma for two weeks after being shot in the bar.

"I have no life and I don't see getting back on my feet," Vidrio told a probation officer.