A central Florida woman who had been accused of killing her mother was convicted this week on three counts, officials say.
According to trial records, Amy Day was found guilty of abuse of an elderly person, kidnapping, and first-degree murder by a jury in Osceola County.
The prosecution contended that Day killed her mother, Ora "Lea" Hawkins, in September of 2015 and buried the remains in the back yard of a St. Cloud home.
The conviction came despite the fact that the Medical Examiner had been unable to determine an exact cause of death for Hawkins.
The defense claimed that authorities were unable to find foreign fingerprints or DNA on the body, either.
Evidence that seemed to favor the prosecution's claims included the discovery of Hawkins' drivers license and credit card in a locked bag at the home she shared with Day.
Prosecutors had claimed that Day killed Hawkins in order to drain her accounts and pay off debts, and had concocted a story that Hawkins had acted on a plan to move to Colorado with a friend from her church.
Records indicate that detectives said they had been unable to find the friend or anybody at the church who knew her.
Jurors spent four days hearing the case, and roughly two and a half hours deliberating before returning their guilty verdicts, according to case records.
The judge in the case then sentenced Day to life in prison.