VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Jurors have recommended life in prison for a man convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend.
“It’s very difficult to talk about this,” said Ellie Tran’s sister Phi Tran.
Tran’s family says the pain is still overwhelming. There’s not a that moment goes by they don’t think about her life.
“It is a broken heart and we are missing our Ellie,” Phi Tran added.
Tran was injected with cyanide by her boyfriend Joseph Merlino on Valentine’s Day 2017. She died the next day.
On Monday, the same jury that found him guilty of murder recommended he be sentenced to life.
“I feel justice has been made for my Ellie,” Phi Tran said.
Merlino didn’t have any expression when the sentence was read. His attorneys asked the judge to set aside his conviction, because they believe he wasn’t even in the area at the time of Tran’s murder.
“This was a cruel act,” Virginia Beach prosecutor Mario Lorello added. “This is a case where he plotted and planned a poisoning by cyanide. I think that is something that the community should fear and I think the jury’s verdict touched on that.”
Tran moved to this country from Vietnam in search of a better life. She worked two jobs and had a child with Merlino. She installed cameras on her home after they broke up. They captured the moment she was injected.
“She is the sister that I will remember every day all my life,” Tran said.
Tran’s family members say they are grateful to the jury. They know it won’t bring her back, but prosecutors say at least this verdict can provide some closure.
“I think from day one the evidence showed he was guilty of these offenses,” Lorello added.
A judge will formally sentence Merlino September 26.