ROYERSFORD, Pa. – A Pennsylvania jury convicted Blair Watts of first-degree murder on Wednesday for the killing of Jennifer Brown, a woman who had been missing for two weeks before her body was found buried near a warehouse in Royersford in January.

Brown and Watts were business partners planning to reopen a restaurant called Birdie’s Kitchen, and Brown had invested $17,000 in the restaurant the day before she disappeared. With the conviction, Watts was immediately sentenced to life in prison. The district attorney’s office reported that medical examiners concluded that Brown’s death was a homicide by unspecified means, with three broken ribs suggesting that her death was likely caused by “compression asphyxiation.”

Brown’s aunt, Diane Brehm, said after the verdict, “Justice was served for my niece, Jennifer Brown. It will never bring her back, but at least I know he will never walk out and hurt another family again the way he has destroyed ours.”

Watts had pleaded not guilty and reiterated his innocence after the verdict, insisting, “I didn’t kill Jennifer Brown.” Prosecutors alleged that police cadaver dogs found evidence of human remains in Brown’s home and in Watts’ car.

The tragic outcome has left an impact on the community and highlights the urgency of addressing issues related to violence against women. But for Brown’s family, the conviction of Watts for her murder offers a sense of closure and the hope that justice has been served.