Davie Dauzat had beheaded his wife Natasha Dauzat and kept her head in a home freezer - Representational Image Flickr via Creative Commons/Pi

A Texas man, who had chopped off his wife's head in front of their young children and kept it in a freezer, has been sentenced to 52 years in jail.

Davie Dauzat, 24, pleaded guilty on Friday morning (15 December) and said that he had used drugs before killing his wife Natasha Dauzat, the Waco Tribune-Herald newspaper reported. However, it is not clear what drugs Davie took and when he took, other than smoking marijuana with his wife on the day of the incident.

According to the autopsy report, it was confirmed that Natasha had died from at least 43 knife wounds and other "sharp-force injuries, including decapitation," the newspaper reported.

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On 25 August 2016, the police had visited the man's home on Concord Road after a relative asked for a welfare check on reports of Davie assaulting the 21-year-old woman. Officers initially had found no trouble and left.

But after a relative again called the authorities about two hours later, expressing concern that Davie had killed his wife, Natasha's severed head was found in the freezer.

The two children -- a one-year-old son and three-year-old daughter -- who were at home when the police arrived that day, were not physically injured.

"While, this killer earned a lifetime behind bars, the health of the children who witnessed this terrible act had to be considered. The family and medical professionals were adamant that these children could not relive this unspeakable horror in a trial," McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna said.

"The family and District Attorney will work together to ensure this defendant spends each day of his next 52 years locked behind bars."

After the hearing, Davie's defence attorney, Joseph Marcee, told the paper: "It is certainly a tragedy for everybody involved in the situation and I think it highlights the dangers that drugs play in our society.

"I certainly think that factored into everything and I think it is a tragedy. "My client took responsibility for his actions today and that is something he wanted to do."

Davie was told that he must spend at least 26 years in prison before he could seek parole.

According to Natasha's mother, Patricia Tagliarino, Davie deserved to die a slow, painful death like her daughter did and she now prays every day for him to die, the Mirror reported.