Man to get life sentence for killing female neighbor

LOWELL, Mass. (AP) - A Massachusetts man has been found guilty of killing his neighbor.

The Lowell Sun reports (https://bit.ly/2q5xu2C ) that 55-year-old James Sheedy, of Lowell, was convicted Tuesday of first-degree murder. Sheedy will automatically be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole at a hearing set for June 22.

Sheedy told police he killed 54-year-old Barbara Romano after she tried to attack and rob him with a box cutter during a drug-fueled tryst in 2014. Sheedy’s attorney said his client grabbed the box cutter and defended himself.

Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Kontz said that scratches on Sheedy’s body were from fleeing into a wooded area. Kontz added that Sheedy never called to get help for Romano and that he cut her dozens of times.

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Information from: The (Lowell, Mass.) Sun, https://www.lowellsun.com