Lane County man gets life sentence in woman’s stabbing death

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – A Lane County man who authorities say stabbed a woman more than 30 times before setting her home on fire has been sentenced to life in prison.

The Register-Guard reports 49-year-old Robert Thomas Connelly was sentenced Wednesday after a Lane County jury found him guilty earlier this month of charges that included murder and first-degree arson.

Authorities say Connelly killed 66-year-old Ronni Blair in January 2017. He lived in a trailer about 100 yards (91 meters) from Blair’s residence in the community of McKenzie Bridge.

McKenzie Bridge is located about halfway between Eugene and Bend.

Connelly declined to make a statement in court before his sentence was handed down.

He will be eligible to apply for parole after serving 25 years.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com