KENT, Wash. -- A Burien man convicted of shooting his boss and two other men to death in order to steal a stash of money was sentenced Friday to 97 years in prison.

Tony Smith, 23, killed the men as they slept in a Chevy Tahoe on the West Valley Highway in January, 2005, police said.

Smith was convicted in May of killing 24-year-old Francisco Santos-Rojas, his 16-year-old nephew, Edgar Santos, and 24-year-old Ruben Fuentes.

Court documents said Smith had been working for Santos-Rojas for several months as a chauffeur on drug-buying trips.

Investigators said the slain men concealed $30,000 to $60,000 inside the vehicle's paneling and that Smith killed them for the money.

After the killing, police found more than $1,600 in cash, as well as two handguns, two pit bulls and some marijuana at Smith's apartment.