A man from Massachusetts has been sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his girlfriend during a night out, followed by abandoning her body in a marsh.

Bruce Maiben, aged 48, received a life sentence without parole, as reported by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office in an announcement on Wednesday. This decision came after a jury convicted him of the first-degree murder of Sherell Pringle, who was 40 years old.

On December 19, 2021, Pringle’s family grew worried when they did not hear from her following an evening spent with Maiben. Authorities noted that the family “immediately expressed concern.” Tragically, two days later, her remains were discovered in a marsh near Route 107 in Saugus, located approximately 11 miles from Boston.

Pringle had been brutally stabbed 217 times, a detail shared by her mother, Pearl Garner, which necessitated a closed-casket funeral. Friends and family members took it upon themselves to locate her body by tracking the location of her phone, according to reports from Boston NBC affiliate WBTS.

“The most painful part is, I told the police right from the start to find Bruce Maiben,” expressed Pringle’s son, Jahmani Larionne, after her body was discovered. “From day one, I said, ‘You need to locate Bruce Maiben. He resides in Lynn. You must track his phone and find him.’”

Maiben was arrested and arraigned in Lynn District Court on Dec. 23, 2021, two days before Christmas. A grand jury indictment moved the case to Superior Court. Maiben was originally charged with larceny over $1,200, tampering with evidence, and obstruction; then he was charged with murdering Pringle.

He pleaded not guilty, and the case moved forward.

The victim’s family was present throughout the case, showing up in court by the dozens to watch the trial proceedings against Maiben, per video from local CBS affiliate WBZ.

As her daughter’s killer was sentenced, Garner addressed him directly. “You don’t deserve to be walking here. You will get what you deserve because God don’t like ugly,” she said, per local Fox affiliate WFXT. “You’re scum… I hope you rot in hell for what you did.”

Prosecutors suggested Pringle was planning to break up with Maiben after he reportedly broke into her home and threatened her with a knife after an argument. According to a court filing reviewed by Boston.com, Pringle sent one friend a text message shortly before she died saying she was “done with [Maiben].”

Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker hopes the conviction and sentencing bring them some semblance of peace.

“This verdict and subsequent sentence will ensure that the defendant will be held accountable for his senseless and atrocious conduct,” Tucker said. “Our hope is that the family and friends of Sherell Pringle can find some comfort in this outcome.”

Pringle’s obituary remembers her as a “natural-born leader” who was “very ambitious.” She leaves behind her son and “a boatload of relatives.”