Boyfriend found guilty in strangulation death of Cornell engineering student

ITHACA, N.Y. - The boyfriend of a Cornell engineering student was found guilty of her murder Thursday, despite his claim that he accidentally strangled her during sex, reports CBS affiliate WBNG.

Benjamin Cayea, 33, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Shannon Jones of Potomac, Maryland. Jones was killed inside her apartment on Nov. 27, 2014 in Cayuga Heights, just outside Ithaca.

Prosecutors said that after his arrest Cayea told a Tompkins County sheriff's investigator that he killed Jones after an argument earlier in the day.

Shannon Jones WBNG

During his testimony Tuesday in county court, Cayea said Jones had asked him to choke her while they were having sex after they had argued in her apartment.

"When Investigator Cowen was interviewing him two or three hours after he had killed Shannon, and typically, that's where you find the truth. Not 11 months later after you had a chance to craft a defense," Deputy District Attorney Andrew Bonavia said.

The jury of four women and eight men deliberated for approximately four hours, according to District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson.

Cayea could face 15 years-to life in prison when he is sentenced on December 7. Cayea's defense attorney told the Ithaca Journal that he plans to appeal the verdict.

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