A Florida man will not receive the death sentence after jurors decided that his girlfriend's fatal stabbing wasn't premeditated.
John Chapman, 28, was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder. Prosecutors had been arguing for a first-degree murder conviction and seeking the death penalty.
Authorities say Chapman stabbed 28-year-old Vanessa Williams more than 20 times inside a pickup truck parked at a west Boca Raton apartment complex in April 2015.
He then dumped the body and knife in a ditch west of Delray Beach.
Chapman testified that he was acting in self-defense and that Williams had tried to stab him first. The confrontation followed several days of drinking and drug use.
Chapman still faces up to life in prison.