TAMPA, Fla. — Matthew Terry will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was found guilty of first-degree murder for the death of a 43-year-old Hillsborough County teacher.
A Hillsborough County jury convicted Terry of the murder of Kay Baker, 43, who was found dead outside of a neighbor's home in Lithia on Tuesday. Documents said Baker had multiple stab wounds to her neck and shoulder.
The Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office said Baker was an elementary school teacher in the area and was dating Terry at the time of her death.
The case made news earlier this year when then-State Attorney Andrew Warren chose not to seek the death penalty in the case. That decision was reversed after Warren was suspended by Governor Ron DeSantis.
According to the State Attorney's Office, Terry was convicted of stabbing a previous girlfriend in Michigan. They added that he was eventually released from custody and moved to Florida five months before Baker's death.
The trial jury will now move to the sentencing phase, which will recommend a sentence of life in prison or death.
