Robert Steven Wright found guilty in Renee Sweeney murder

CTV News has learned the jury in the Robert Steven Wright has found him guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Renee Sweeney in Sudbury on Jan. 27, 1998.

CTV News has learned the jury in the Robert Steven Wright, 43, has found him guilty of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Renee Sweeney in Sudbury, Ont., on Jan. 27, 1998.

He was arrested and charged with her murder in December 2018 and has been in jail since.

A second-degree murder conviction in Canada comes with an automatic life in prison sentence, with parole eligibility between 10 to 25 years as decided by a judge.

After five weeks of testimony, that began Feb. 21, a Sudbury jury of 12 started deliberating Tuesday after one alternate jury member was excused.

CTV News learned it reached a verdict shortly before 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Extra police have been deployed to the courthouse and four additional officers outside searching everyone's bags as they enter.