Mass. man convicted of killing pregnant girlfriend

SALEM, Mass. (AP) -- A jury has convicted a Marblehead man of killing his pregnant girlfriend and her nearly full-term fetus more than three years ago.

A Salem Superior Court jury has found Peter Ronchi guilty of two counts of first degree murder in the May 2009 stabbing death of 42-year-old Yuliya Galperina and their unborn fetus.

The jury returned the verdict against the 48-year-old Ronchi on Thursday afternoon following a three-and-a-half week trial.

A judge then imposed two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Prosecutors say the slaying was a "premeditated act." They say Ronchi went to Galperina's apartment armed with a knife and stabbed her to death. Meanwhile, Ronchi's attorneys say their client acted in a "heat of passion."