RICHMOND, Va. -- A jury found a Henrico contractor Thomas Clark guilty on all counts of killing Suzanne Fairman.
Clark was found guilty for first-degree murder, rape and abduction. All three charges carry a sentence of up to life in prison.
Fairman, 53, was found dead in the bathtub of her Tanglewood Road home in Richmond on May 9, 2019.
A knife, bandanna, glove, and iPhone cord that had been knotted and cut were found on the sink.
Clark, who was arrested on unrelated charges about a week after the murder, had done work at Fairman's home prior to her death.
The jury reached the verdict after deliberating for an hour and 20 minutes.
Prosecutors said Clark held Fairman at knifepoint, bond her wrists, raped her, and then strangled her to death.
"There is a huge amount of relief," said Fairman's son, Scott, after the verdict. "I know these last two-and-a-half-years have been dreadful for my family and my friends and everybody in our life and with this verdict I just feel like everybody can begin to heal."
Scott Fairman was the first and last person to take to the stand in the proseuction's case, but also sat in during the rest of the trial that included, at times, graphic descriptions of the injuries his mother suffered.
"Because I have gone the last two-and-a-half-years with vague detail and because she was my mother and my best friend. I just, I had to know. It was just something personal that I felt I needed to hear," Fairman said as to why he stayed in the courtroom.
The sentencing date will be Feb. 14, 2022. The judge in the case has ordered a pre-sentencing report.
Fairman said he would like Clark to received a life sentence for each of the three counts.
Following the verdict, the defense attorney for Clark said that they respect the jury decision but he maintains his innocence and right to appeal. The attorney added that his heart goes out to Fairman and her family.
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