A Jefferson County man now faces life in prison after a jury found him guilty of strangling his common law wife to death in 2014.
After a 10-day trial, Michael Allen Sommerfield, 35, was convicted of first-degree murder on Monday, according to a news release from the First Judicial District Attorney’s office that was distributed on Tuesday.
Jurors deliberated for one and a half days before returning their verdict.
to 9383 W. Ontario Drive in unincorporated Jefferson County on March 21, 2014. After arriving deputies found 34-year-old Michelle Lucero dead inside.
Investigators found red marks across Lucero’s neck. An autopsy report later revealed that she died from strangulation.
During the trial, that Sommerfield strangled Lucero with the cord of a curling iron.
Before Lucero was killed, Lucero went to a neighbor’s house and asked them to call 911. Lucero told her neighbors that Sommerfield had chocked her, according to the release.
But Lucero changed her mind and went back to her home to call the police herself.
Neighbors later heard a loud banging coming from Lucero’s home. When the went to check they found Lucero lying on the floor.
“This senseless case of domestic violence affects us all. This is a community problem, not just a family problem and we must work together to stop domestic violence,” First Judicial District Attorney Pete Weir said in a statement. ” If you suspect someone is a victim of domestic violence, call 911.”
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for 4 p.m. on June 16.
