A man found guilty of raping and murdering his ex-girlfriend before setting her on fire on Auckland's North Shore will be sentenced today.
Steven Ellis, 29, was found guilty by a jury at the High Court in Auckland on November 1 of raping and murdering 43-year-old Jacqueline Blackbourn, who died on June 26, 2010.
Ellis had previously admitted a charge of arson for setting a fire under Ms Blackbourn's bed in what he described as a suicide attempt.
Ellis' version of events - that the sex was consensual and that Ms Blackbourn was accidentally stabbed when she came at him with a knife - was rejected by the jury.
The Crown said Ellis could not accept that a two-year relationship with Ms Blackbourn had ended, especially once she started a new relationship.
NZN