Cecil Noyola is scheduled to be sentenced in May after being convicted in the 2021 murder of his girlfriend in Phoenix.

“This defendant shot his girlfriend, left her to die and then did everything possible to avoid being held accountable,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in announcing the conviction.

On Jan. 5, 2021, the Phoenix Police Department responded to two calls requesting a welfare check.

From their initial investigation, police revealed that the defendant had been acting erratically over the course of several days, according to a release from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Upon entering an apartment, police officers found Jessica Kennedy with a gunshot wound to the head, the release stated, adding no weapon was recovered.

After having fled Arizona, Noyola, now 64, turned himself in in January 2021. He admitted to giving the gun to a friend, and it was recovered after the friend was arrested, according to MCAO.

“I hope Jessica knows we worked hard over the last three years to get justice for her. To her family and loved ones, I hope this is the start of their journey towards healing,” Mitchell said.

Noyola stands convicted of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence. His sentencing is scheduled for May 20.