A 23-year-old man was convicted Wednesday of murdering his live-in girlfriend at her Reseda apartment.
The Van Nuys Superior Court jury deliberated about five hours before finding James Howard Jr. guilty of first-degree murder for the February 2012 killing of Sharilit Matthews, according to Deputy District Attorney Sharon Ransom.
The woman's family and friends contacted police after not being able to contact the 41-year-old woman for about a week.
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Officers found Matthews -- who had suffered an injury to her neck -- in her bed. She had been dead for about eight days.
Howard is due back in court for sentencing Oct. 23, when he is facing 26 years to life in state prison.
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—City News Service
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