Man Who ‘Snapped’ After Seeing His Girlfriend Kiss Her Female Friend Convicted of Double Murder

A Wisconsin man has been convicted of murdering his girlfriend and her friend nearly 14 months after they were killed.

Brown County court records reviewed by PEOPLE show that Richard Sotka, 49, was convicted Monday of two counts of first-degree intentional homicide by use of a dangerous weapon in connection with the deaths of Rhonda Cegelski, 58, and Paula O’Connor, 53.

In addition to one count of murder which has a domestic abuse modifier, Sotka was also convicted of three counts of bail evasion, two counts of misdemeanor bail evasion and one count of criminal damage to property.

The verdict was reached “exactly one hour” after the jury began deliberations following a four-day trial, according to Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Video by Richard Sotka.

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According to WLUK, even though he faces two life sentences, Judge Beau Liegeois can choose to “set a date when Sotka could first apply for parole or decide he will never be eligible for release.”

A previous press release from the Green Bay Police Department indicated that officers first learned of the deaths of Cegelski and O’Connor after they were dispatched to Cegelski’s home on the morning of Jan. 29, 2023.

The women were found dead in the house by Cegelski’s daughter and a friend, it is said Green Bay Press-Gazette. Sotka shared a home with Cegelski, who called O’Connor the night before, writes WBAY.

Richard Sotka was seen talking to his defense attorney in court.

Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

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The news station reports that Sotka testified during the trial that everyone was “having a good night” until things changed after he got out of the shower and saw the women kissing. At the trial, he said that he “became jealous and felt humiliated by them”.

In his police interview, Sotka said he then “snapped” and fatally stabbed both women multiple times with a large knife.

According to Green Bay Press-Gazetteofficers discovered Sotka’s GPS monitor when they responded to the home, which he was required to wear on charges “related to stalking, violating a restraining order, domestic abuse and disorderly conduct” in a separate incident.

The outlet reports that officers discovered Sotka was in Arkansas using data from a tracking device on a truck he was driving that belonged to his employer.

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Arkansas police arrested Sotka during a traffic stop on Jan. 29, 2023, just before 3:00 p.m., Green Bay police said in a news release.

The sentencing is scheduled for May 20.

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Source: HIS Education