El Cajon
After deliberating for about four hours, a jury convicted a young El Cajon man of first-degree murder Wednesday in the strangulation of his former girlfriend.
Mark Augustine Lugo, 23, was convicted of killing Edyie Lopez, 24, of El Cajon with a coat hanger on Nov. 16, 1987.
Both Lugo and Lopez worked at the Home of Guiding Hands in Lakeside, a shelter for the developmentally disabled.
The San Diego Superior Court jury deliberated four hours and 15 minutes over Tuesday and Wednesday. The trial lasted five weeks.
Judge James Malkus set sentencing for Feb. 6 in El Cajon Superior Court, where he is being assigned.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Kirkman said Lugo faces a maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison.
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