A man convicted of killing his girlfriend with a sword in front of her children in 2008 was sentenced to 36 years to life in state prison Tuesday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.
After two hours of deliberation, a jury found 35-year-old Jesús Humberto Canales guilty of one count of first-degree murder and four counts of child abuse.
Canales murdered his 26-year-old live-in girlfriend Lucy Preciado on July 12, 2008, prosecutors said. Preciado's four children — whose ages ranged from 7 months to 9 years old — were present during the murder. Her oldest daughter, now 15 years old, delivered a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing.
Canales fled Lancaster shortly after the killing. Authorities captured him in November 2013 in Mexico after an episode of the crime-fighting television show "America's Most Wanted" featured the story, according to a news release.
