GRAND JUNCTION -- Nine years and two trials later, Lester Jones has been found guilty for the murder of a Grand Junction mother. Paige Birgfeld's family has finally found justice.
A judge heard the verdict from a jury on Tuesday, just two days after Christmas Day. The jury found Jones guilty of committing murder and kidnapping in the 2007 death.
For the charge of murder, the judge sentenced Jones to life in prison. For the charge of kidnapping, the judge sentenced Jones to 12 years in prison. Those sentences will run concurrently.
Police for some time after Birgfeld's death could not locate her body, but eventually located the remains in Delta County.
Birgfeld was the mother of three children, and she also ran an escort service. Jones was reportedly one of her clients.
Police were able to draw the first connections between Jones and Birgfeld from phone records.
The case ran into a potential halt on Dec. 2 when a witness, who was one of Birgfeld's friends, blurted out in court as she passed Jones.
According to reports, Carol Linderholm called Jones a "piece of crap killer."
The judge found Linderholm in contempt of court, after which she apologized. She faced 24 hours of public service, and the case moved forward after jurors said they did not hear the outburst.
Jones has sat through two trials already, with the first trial being declared a mistrial as jurors could not reach a unanimous decision on first-or second-degree murder and kidnapping charges.
The jury in his second trial came together after deliberating for three days to find Jones guilty of all charges.
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