ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) A 33-year-old man faces at least 33 years in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in the 2010 stabbing death of a 19-year-old mother who was his former girlfriend. A state District Court jury in Albuquerque convicted Dorall Smith on Monday in the killing of Dawn Vigil, who was stabbed 90 times.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, Smith was absent from the courtroom throughout the trial and on Monday when the verdict was read. Defense attorney Liane Kerr did not explain her client's absence but said during closing arguments that it was awkward defending what she called “an empty chair.''
Members of Vigil's family wept and hugged after the verdict.
Smith faces an Oct. 11 sentencing.
