Herrera: Guilty on all counts!

LoHud has the brief:

Ronald Douglas Herrera Castellanos this afternoon found guilty of the brutal rape and murder of Mary Nagle, the mother of two who was slain in her bedroom last year.

Herrera, 30, faces life in prison without parole when he is sentenced by Justice William Kelly on May 15.

The jury deliberated for about two-and-a-half hours this afternoon before finding Herrera, 30, guilty of all 15 felony counts, including seven murder charges.

Nagle, 42, was killed April 29 in her Tamarac Avenue home.

What the brief didn't mention: Ronald Douglas Herrera lived in the United States illegally. He outstayed his tourist visa. His employer failed to discover his illegal status.

According to NewsTalk Radio 77 WABC, Mr. Herrera reported that he "couldn't remember" whether or not he had murdered Mary Nagle when he took the stand in his own defense. He had evidently been drinking and drugging heavily the night before. He also had slept with a prostitute.

Yes, very credible. How exactly does one wake up, drenched in blood, next to a murdered woman in a strange house, and not remember what happened?

Mr. Herrera should spend the rest of his life in prison without ANY possibility of parole. I hope, for his sake, that he comes to repent of the heinous evil that he has committed against Mary Nagle and her entire family. May God have mercy on him.

However, the heart of my prayers go out to the Nagle family and all of their friends. May God grant them consolation in this emotional time. May the verdict delivered by this jury bring them some peace of mind.

Please keep them in your prayers.