Terry Saxton, the man charged in the 2012 slaying of Vicki Lacombe in Ringgold, Ga., was found guilty Thursday evening by a Catoosa County, Ga., jury.
According to Times Free Press archives, Lacombe, 55, suffered blows to her head and stomach just before her death on July 9, 2012. Police originally investigated her death as a suicide.
The mother of three was dating Saxton, 50, and living in Ringgold. She was originally from Canton, Ga.
Saxton first told police he came home and found Lacombe lying on the ground. He was arrested on battery charges for pushing or striking Lacombe, which led to a head injury and broken bones, archives say.
Lacombe's autopsy showed blunt force trauma to the head and abdomen, though, and Saxton's charges were increased to murder.
Times Free Press archives state that Lacombe had been physically abused by Saxton. Police believed the couple argued the night of Lacombe's death.
WRCB-TV reported Saxton was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter by a jury that deliberated for more than seven hours.