ERWIN, Tenn. (WJHL) — A Unicoi County man was convicted of murder and other charges Thursday in the 2022 death of his girlfriend.

A jury convicted Tyler Owens of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, felony reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence, and other charges.

He will automatically get life in prison for first-degree murder.

Owens was charged with shooting and killing his girlfriend, Stacie Brugger, in February 2022. He pleaded guilty to some charges, including possession of a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony and evading arrest, but he pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and others.

The jury convicted Owens after a four-day trial that brought 13 witnesses to the stand, including the medical examiner who conducted Brugger’s autopsy.

That examiner was forensic pathologist Dr. Andrea Orvik. Orvik, a medical examiner at ETSU, testified that the gunshot that killed Brugger was a contact shot, meaning it was directly against Brugger’s neck.

Orvik also explained that a mark around the entrance wound matched exactly with the handgun that killed Brugger.

The autopsy report and photos of Brugger’s injuries were shown to the court. The report determined the cause of death was the gunshot wound.

After Orvik’s testimony, the prosecution and defense teams gave closing arguments.

Both sides discussed text messages between Owens and Brugger the night before Brugger was killed.

In those messages, Owens and Brugger were in an argument. Owens called Brugger names, told her to “go burn,” and said he would put her stuff outside for her to come pick up.

Brugger responded to these messages by saying he made her feel worthless, but she respected herself enough to leave the relationship.

The defense said the messages showed Brugger saying she would come get her stuff after the argument.

Another point in the closing arguments was the testimonies by the officers who caught Owens the day he was arrested. All officers who testified said Owens had climbed out the back window of his camper, ran, and then pointed a gun at them.

Marissa Brugger, the sister of Stacie Brugger, said she and the rest of her family feel like justice has been served.

“I think I can speak for everybody when I say that we can all breathe a little a little more clear,” Marissa Brugger said in front of a group of family and friends. “We’ve been holding our breath for three years.”

“She would be proud of us and I would just maybe verify that with her that everything that we’ve done and all the heartache that we’ve been through the last three years, we’ve stood strong for her, and we’ve all been united for her and just, working towards an end goal of justice for her.”

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 25.