Lauren Astley was murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Nathaniel Fujita, in July 2011. She was expected to enroll at Elon University that fall.

On July 3, 2011, a grisly murder occurred in Wayland, Mass. Nathaniel Fujita, now 20, beat, strangled and slashed to death Lauren Astley, then 18. She was expected to enroll at Elon University that fall.

Today, Fujita was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury of eight men and four women. He will likely be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, though first-degree murder convictions are automatically appealed.

The defense argued Fujita slipped into a “brief psychotic episode” instigated by years of marijuana use, football injuries and deep depression, but the prosecution argued he was simply enraged by his recent breakup with Astley, as reported by the Boston Globe.

Sentencing is expected at noon.

This story was updated to correct a factual error.