A Saugus man was sentenced Monday to 26 years to life in prison for killing his girlfriend three years ago.
Jurors deliberated about 2 1/2 hours on Sept. 18 before finding Eric Allen Earle, 43, guilty of first-degree murder in the Sept. 1, 2011, asphyxiation death of Karla Brada, according to Deputy District Attorney Elena Abramson.
Brada — who was killed two days short of her 32nd birthday — was found dead inside the condominium unit she shared with Earle, who maintained she had fallen down the stairs.
Earle had assaulted Brada on other occasions and had also beaten his ex- wife, according to trial testimony. Prosecutors said Brada had refused to cooperate in a domestic violence case against Earle a month before her death.
Brada’s body was covered with bruises, according to a forensic expert who testified at the trial.
The two met at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous in Canyon Country.
— City News Service