Jun. 4—After more than a day of deliberations, a jury has found a man guilty of fatally shooting a massage parlor worker in Northeast Albuquerque.

Jurors deliberated for more than eight hours Monday and a few hours on Tuesday before finding Jorge Rivera-Ramirez, 21, guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder with firearm enhancement, kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery in the Jan. 24, 2022, death of 45-year-old Sihui Fang at Wonderful Massage.

The jury found him not guilty of tampering with evidence.

“We believe the jury came to the right decision,” prosecutor Jordan Diane Machin told the Journal. Fellow prosecutor Natalie Lyon said justice was served . After the trial, the prosecutors spoke to Fang’s aunt, who thanked them.

Defense attorney Stefanie Gulley could not be reached for comment.

Second Judicial District Court Judge Brett Loveless did not announce a sentencing hearing date. However, he said that a scheduling conference is upcoming on unrelated armed robbery charges against Rivera-Ramirez.

The murder trial for Rivera-Ramirez’s co-defendant, Juan Carlos Hernandez, is scheduled for August, according to court records.

During opening statements, Lyon said on the day of the killing,, a man — later identified as Hernandez — came to Wonderful Massage asking Fang for a massage. Fang was ready to give him a massage when he pulled out a firearm. She smacked the gun away and tried to get him to leave when his accomplice — later identified as Rivera-Ramirez — pushed her back inside the business while also carrying a firearm.

Lyon said Fang tried holding onto a door frame when her fingers slipped and they threw her down. She continued to fight and tried to get them to leave, but they refused. Hernandez dragged Fung by the hair to the back office, when the video cut out.

Police said detectives believe Fang gave the men money before she got a gun and shot Rivera-Ramirez. The defense said in closing arguments that he had been shot in the leg multiple times and was terrified of Fang shooting at him and Hernandez. The prosecution countered that she shot them in self-defense.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court, it was later discovered Fang had been shot by Rivera-Ramirez and Hernandez 10 times. A handgun was found beside her body, and bullet casings were seen all around.