BAIRD, TX. — After four long hours of deliberation, the jury found 34-year-old, Justin Bennett guilty of murder.
The trial started Monday in Callahan county for the murder of Abilene mother, Meagan Dearman. Her body was found at lake T&P in Baird a few days after she was reported missing.
Dearman had a shoelace tied around her neck.
"Sad, overwhelmed, still a little bit outraged," says great aunt of Dearman's children, Virginia Harris.
There was high tension in the courtroom after much evidence showing Bennett's whereabouts from when she went missing until after the body was found.
"I've cried a lot throughout this ordeal, and it's been rough on all of us to hear the things that we heard and know it's not true," says Virginia.
Now after more than a year, the family finally gets some peace.
Bennett's sentencing resulted in 70 years behind bars with a $10,000 fine.