TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A Florida man has been convicted of raping and killing a 9-year-old girl.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that 40-year-old Granville Ritchie was found guilty Wednesday of first-degree murder, sexual battery and aggravated child abuse. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
Prosecutors say Ritchie was dating 9-year-old Felecia Williams’ neighbor, Eboni Wiley, in May 2014. Ritchie and Wiley were watching the girl one day and took her to his mother’s Temple Terrace apartment. Investigators say Ritchie sexually assaulted and strangled the girl while Wiley went to buy marijuana. Ritchie then hid the girl’s body in a suitcase and later dumped her from a causeway into Tampa Bay.
Wiley testified that the Ritchie told her that he gave Felecia money to buy candy at a nearby store but never returned.
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Information from: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.), http://www.tampabay.com.
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