Eric Earle was found guilty of murder of Karla Brada on Thursday, officials said.
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“The jury took about two hours to come back with a guilty verdict,” said Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office.
Related: Murder Trial Begins For Saugus Man Accused Of Killing Girlfriend
The jury began deliberation this morning, according to officials.
“He’s facing 25 years to life in prison,” Santiago said.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 27 at Los Angeles County Superior Court in San Fernando.
From a previous story:
In the opening statements, Deputy District Attorney Elena Abramson described Earle as an abusive, controlling boyfriend who beat his girlfriend in an argument ending with Brada’s death Sept. 1, 2011.
Earle’s attorney, David Arredondo, said the pair engaged in their “bad conduct” — methadone, amphetamines and alcohol were found in Brada’s system at the time of her death — and Brada’s death was caused by a lethal amount of methadone in her system.
Abramson opened with a picture of Brada, noting the victim would have turned 35 on Sept. 3, the day before jurors were to get their notice for service.
In early 2011, Brada and Earle met in an alcoholics anonymous meeting where both were struggling with alcohol and drug addiction. Within a few months, the two were living together in Brada’s two-bedroom condo in Saugus.
Related: Saugus Man Ordered To Stand Trial For Girlfriend’s Death
The relationship quickly turned violent, Abramson contended, explaining in her opening remarks how Earle allegedly isolated Brada from her friends, while manipulating her and physically abusing her.
Arredondo declined to say whether Earle would testify on his own behalf during the trial.
He said his client had no reason to kill Brada and that he loved her, Arredondo said.
“Much of the case here will depend upon expert testimony,” Arredondo said, but adding if the justice system relied on experts alone, there would be no need for the jury.
“The conclusion here is death by asphyxiation,” Arredondo said. “The problem here is that, there’s also methadone.”
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