NH man convicted in murder, rape of university student

BOSTON (Reuters) - A New Hampshire jury on Friday found Seth Mazzaglia guilty of first-degree murder in the strangulation and rape of college student Elizabeth Marriott in 2012, a court official said. Mazzaglia, 31, used a rope to strangle 19-year-old Marriott, a student at the University of New Hampshire, after she rejected his sexual advances, and then raped her lifeless body. The jury began deliberations on Thursday following a 19-day trial that had captivated the New England state with lurid details of the occult, sadomasochism and romantic betrayal. Mazzaglia's ex-girlfriend testified she had brought Marriott - whom she met at a department store - home to him as a sex offering to appease him after she'd been away for two weeks. She said they dumped her body in a river near the Portsmouth Harbor after he killed her. Marriott's body was never found. The ex-girlfriend, Kathryn McDonough, 20, was given a reduced sentence of 18 months to 3 years for her testimony. The jury found Mazzaglia guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy, for which he faces up to life in prison. A date for sentencing has not yet been determined, according to the court official. (Writing by Richard Valdmanis; editing by Gunna Dickson)