Man is convicted in torture slaying
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A La Palma man was convicted Thursday of murdering his live-in girlfriend in 2005 after torturing her by cutting out her tongue.
Frank Robert Mallory, 50, could face life in prison without the possibility of parole at his sentencing April 11.
He was convicted of murdering Patricia Dunthorne by cutting out her tongue and leaving her to bleed to death on a bed.
For several weeks after Dunthorne’s death, prosecutors said, Mallory hid the woman’s body under a blanket in his garage, telling neighbors that she had gone to Utah.
Officials said the crime came to light when his brother called police to report a strange odor coming from the garage.
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