BEVERLY HILLS—James Duane Grzeslo, 59, a Los Angeles resident was sentenced to 26 years to life in state prison for the murder of his girlfriend Cathy Ann Carrasco-Zanini, 58, according to a press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.  Grzeslo was found guilty on August 10, 2016 for slashing Carrasco-Zanini’s throat in her Beverly Hills apartment in 2011.

Grzeslo was found guilty of one count of first degree murder and the jurors found the allegations of the defendant using a knife as a deadly weapon true. Carrasco-Zanini was killed on October 26, 2011. Evidence presented at the trial showed that the victim had written the defendant’s name with her blood before succumbing to her injuries on the floor inside her home.

Jane Robison from the Los Angeles Country District Attorney’s Office told Canyon News in an email that the jurors deliberated for just over an hour before reaching a verdict. No additional information was available on the case.

Deputy District Attorneys Keri Modder and Oksana Sigal prosecuted the case. During the trial, it was noted that Grzeslo was possessive and jealous of Carrasco-Zanini’s friendships prior to her death. Witnesses testified that Grzeslo would tell people that as a Marine he would turn people into “Pez dispensers” by slashing their throats. The Beverly Hills Police Department Investigated the case.