By: Associated Press//September 27, 2012//
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) – A jury has convicted a 45-year-old man of murdering a woman whose body was found in La Crosse.
Jurors deliberated for more than two hours Wednesday before convicting Izelia Golatt of first-degree intentional homicide.
Golatt was accused in the death of 35-year-old Kristen Rodgers. Her body was found in a dirt lot last March.
A medical examiner testified that Rodgers was strangled. But the defense maintained the victim overdosed on cocaine.
The La Crosse Tribune reports the conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. But it will be up to the judge to determine if Golatt could eventually be eligible for parole.
Information from: La Crosse Tribune, http://www.lacrossetribune.com