A man was found guilty of murder Thursday for using a dog leash to choke to death a Massachusetts mother of seven he was dating.
The jury found Ryan Power guilty of first-degree murder, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office.
Power was charged with murder, strangulation and assault and battery on a household or family member in the 2017 death of 31-year-old Leah Penny, whose body was found in her Malden home with a dog leash tied around her neck.
Power fled to New Hampshire after Penny's death and was arrested in Seabrook as a fugitive from justice, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.
Power and Penny were in a romantic relationship, authorities said. He had previously been arrested in May 2017 for assault and battery following a domestic dispute.