GUILTY: Jurors convict immigrant of killing Chandra Levy

P.M UPDATE:

WASHINGTON — A jury on Monday convicted Salvadoran immigrant Ingmar Guandique of killing Chandra Levy in 2001.

The jury of three men and nine women deliberated for a little more than three days before announcing its verdict, which caps one of the nation's longest-running and most relentlessly chronicled murder mysteries.

The two first-degree felony murder convictions subject Guandique to a potential sentence of 30 years to life in prison, as the District of Columbia does not have the death penalty.

“It’s been an important Monday morning for me and my family,” Levy’s mother, Susan, said shortly after the verdict was read. “It makes a difference to find the right person who was responsible for my daughter’s death.”

Susan Levy stared straight at Guandique when the jury foreman read the guilty verdicts. Guandique appeared to be without expression, and his defense attorneys declined immediate comment.

Guandique's sentencing will come Feb. 11, following additional court proceedings. The fearsomely tattooed 29-year-old is already serving a prison sentence for attacking two other women in Washington's Rock Creek Park.

Rock Creek Park is where, jurors agreed, Guandique killed Levy on May 1, 2001, during an attempted robbery and kidnapping. All told, the jurors convened for roughly 18 hours.

“I don’t know that it was a difficult decision, but it was lengthy,” said juror Linda Norton, a 62-year-old interior designer. “We felt we owed it to everyone involved to go through all of the evidence.”

Another juror, 28-year-old restaurant worker Emily Grinstead, stressed that there was no single element of the prosecution’s case that ensured conviction.

“At the end of the day, the decision was based on all of the evidence, and not just one piece,” Grinstead said.

A third juror, 58-year-old journalist Susan Kelly, added that the closing arguments "were very effective" in summing up the case. The three jurors said the entire jury panel agreed not to discuss deliberations in detail.

"They set aside all the rumors and speculation," U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen, Jr. said in a post-verdict news conference.

Machen had not appeared during the trial, which was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Haines and her colleague Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez.

Three witnesses seemed most compelling during the 10 days of testimony. Two women who survived their own 2001 attacks by Guandique described vividly what happened.

"He grabbed me from behind and held a knife to my face," recounted Christy Wiegand, now a 35-year-old attorney with two children. "He brutally attacked me, and dragged me to an isolated area."

Guandique's other known surviving victim, Halle Shilling, likewise recalled how she "felt an incredible thud" when Guandique jumped her from behind while she was jogging. Shilling, now a mother of three living in Southern California, and Wiegand were both able to fight Guandique off.

Wiegand and Shilling were both also considerably bigger than the 24-year-old Levy.

In addition to the testimony by Wiegand and Shilling, prosecutors benefited from the firmly spoken recollections of prison inmate Armando Morales. A former gang member, who is still serving time on drug charges, Morales testified that Guandique confessed to him in 2006 that he had killed Levy.

"He told me he spotted her over there at the park," recalled Morales, who shared a prison cell with Guandique for six weeks. "She was alone, and she had on one of those waist pouches. He decided to rob her.