Stuart Simonton, 58, was convicted on Tuesday for the murder of 59-year-old Angelina Wiseman Gailey in the front yard of a duplex on April 3, 2019.
Simonton and Gailey reportedly had a history of arguing. On the day of the stabbing, authorities said Gailey was having a barbecue in the yard when Simonton called the fire department and police because of smoke from Gailey's fire pit.
When crews saw the fire was under control, they left. HPD spoke to everyone on the scene and calmed the situation.
At about 11 p.m., Gailey was sitting outside when Simonton went out and stabbed her three times with a long filet knife. Neighbors heard the commotion and called the police. Simonton was detained and gave police different accounts of what happened.
Now, more than four years since the incident, Simonton was convicted of murder and sentenced to 38 years in prison. He will have to serve at least half of the sentence before he's eligible for parole.
Assistant District Attorney Hunter Brown said jurors recognized that Simonton saw an opening and took it.
"He hated her, he wanted to kill her, and when she sat down near his apartment, he took the opportunity to kill her," Brown said. "He was a predator lying in wait."
Brown noted Gailey was a beloved family matriarch and that now she is not alive to watch her two children and grandchildren.
"This family was robbed of their mother - they will never get her back, and no one should lose their mother like that," Brown said. "She did not even live to see her daughter's wedding."