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Jury convicts Joseph Merlino in cyanide murder of ex-girlfriend

The jury found Joseph Merlino guilty of poisoning his ex-girlfriend in 2017 on Valentine's Day.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- A jury has convicted a man in the poisoning death of his ex-girlfriend.

The jury found Joseph Merlino guilty of poisoning his ex-girlfriend in 2017 on Valentine's Day after brief deliberations.

On Friday morning, the Commonwealth put their last witness on the stand, a doctor at the University of Virginia.

The doctor talked about the report he looked at that had to do with Ellie Tran's medical records. He testified Tran had a high dosage of cyanide injected into her body.

He also said he believes she had a very painful death.

It was then the defense's turn to present its case, and among its witnesses taking the stand Friday was Merlino himself, who denied the charges against him.

Merlino's brother also testified saying he saw Merlino a little after 9 on Valentine's Day in 2017, putting the prosecution's timeline of events into question.

More coverage of the Joseph Merlino Trial:

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