Woman Convicted in Slaying of Boyfriend
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SANTA ANA — An Irvine woman was convicted Friday in the second-degree murder of her live-in boyfriend in a “no body” case in which the only remains of the deceased were four drops of blood.
Judy Valot, 41, faces 15 years to life in prison when she is sentenced March 24 by Superior Court Judge Frank Fasel, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Deborah Lloyd.
Valot, a forklift operator who had worked at the Ford Motor Center in Commerce for 20 years, was arrested in December 1998 in connection with the slaying of Peter Theriault, 51.
Police said they took her into custody after finding inconsistencies between her statements and physical evidence.
Theriault was last seen alive Dec. 2 in Lake Elsinore, according to Lloyd. He returned to Irvine with Valot, Lloyd said, and the two argued over her suspicion that he was having an affair. Theriault wanted to end the relationship, Lloyd said.
The prosecutor said that Valot shot Theriault in the home they shared and then hid the body in the desert. Lloyd said Valot was seen in the Mojave Desert in her red pickup truck.
The drops of blood were found on the tailgate, Lloyd said.
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