Man convicted of strangling woman, 80, in 1975

Published September 11, 2014 12:31am ET



LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man charged with killing an 80-year-old woman during a Los Angeles burglary four decades ago has been convicted of first-degree murder.

Prosecutors say the jury convicted Dennis Vazquez Wednesday after only an hour-and-a-half in deliberations. Vasquez, who’s 55, faces a possible life sentence.

Authorities say Vazquez strangled Alice Lewis at her Venice home in December of 1975.

He was only identified as a suspect in 2009 through DNA testing.

Another man, Kevin Shanahan, also was charged but two years ago, a judge ruled that he was incompetent to stand trial and he was sent to a mental hospital.