On Oct. 7, Cook County jurors deliberated for less than two hours before finding former Northwestern University Wyndham Lathem guilty in the gruesome stabbing death of his boyfriend, The Chicago Tribune reported.
Jurors heard about a week and a half of testimony during which prosecutors described Lathem as a cold-blooded murderer who killed defenseless 26-year-old Trenton Cornell. Prosecutors said Lathem and his co-defendant, British national Andrew Warren, had made a suicidal pact to kill each other, but instead killed Cornell.
The defense argued Lathem was a traumatized bystander who was framed by the actual killera catfishing gold-digger who committed the stabbing in a "jealous meth-fueled rage."
Cornell's mothers, Charlotte Cornell and Mischelle Duranleau, told the Tribune they were hopeful the case would prompt parents to have frank conversations about safety with their LGBTQ children.
According to ABC7Chicago.com, Lathem now faces 20 to 60 years in prison; his sentencing hearing is in November. Warren pled guilty to the crime in 2019 and is serving a 45-year sentence in exchange for his testimony against Lathem.