GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – A man has been convicted of murder and kidnapping in the 2007 death of a single mother from Colorado who led a double life as a paid escort.
The Daily Sentinel newspaper in Grand Junction reports (http://bit.ly/2ic0hhX ) that 65-year-old Lester Ralph Jones was convicted Tuesday. A judge sentenced him to life in prison without parole.
It marked Jones' second trial. The first ended in mistrial in September when jurors couldn't reach a unanimous verdict.
Victim Paige Birgfeld was 34 when she disappeared in June 2007. Friends described her as a devoted mother of three who ran several businesses to support her children.
After she disappeared, police uncovered details of her work as an escort.
Birgfeld's remains were found in 2012, partially buried in a western Colorado gully.
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Information from: The Daily Sentinel, http://www.gjsentinel.com
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