Lashon Hollman, who was charged with killing 27-year-old Cassandra Nelson, his neighbor, by stabbing her 54 times and then dropping a television on her head in Saginaw, Michigan, has been found guilty of first-degree murder, torture and other charges.
The jury deliberated for less than 15 minutes Tuesday before convicting Hollman. He faces a mandatory term of life in prison without parole when he is sentenced on May 9. Jurors were shown photographs of the injuries Nelson sustained.
Nelson's body was discovered on February 2, 2012, two days after the murder occurred, in a Saginaw home when friends called authorities because they were concerned that they hadn't heard from Nelson.
According to the report, Nelson was left to "drown in her own blood." The autopsy report showed that the cause of death was not the stab wounds, but the television being dropped on her head.
Hollman's DNA was found in several places at the crime scene, including a bread knife hidden under the mattress in the victim's bedroom and a can of beer found near her body.
Defense lawyer Matthew Frey previously stated that there were "unexplainable details that don't make sense" in the case. Hollman cried while he listened to the verdict with a bowed head.
Frey also said that portions of Nelson's life "were not very nice."
After Nelson's death, friends suggested that she had made "poor decisions" in the past.
"She didn't always make the best decisions and had a few problem relationships in the past," a friend told MLive in 2012. "But that doesn't mean she didn't have a good head on her shoulders."
According to the friend, Nelson moved to the Saginaw area within the past five years to escape a situation during which she was assaulted.
Her father sent an e-mail message to MLive, which said, "Rest assured, however that she was loved by her entire family and will be greatly missed. Even though she made some bad decisions in her life, she did not deserve to die in this manner."
The motive in the murder remains unclear.
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