SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. (AP) – A jury has convicted a man of killing his girlfriend in Lancaster County, even though the woman’s body was never found.
The Spotsylvania County jury found 54-year-old James Todd Kessler guilty of second-degree murder and concealment of a dead body late Tuesday. The jury recommended a prison term of 45 years. Kessler will be sentenced later this year.
Claudine Gifford was reported missing July 7, 2014.
Kessler and Gifford were last seen together at a Lancaster bar on July 6, 2014.
Defense attorneys said they were trying to determine whether Gifford is still alive and using a false identity.
