A Hennepin County jury on Friday convicted a Champlin man of murdering his wife in March of last year, and he faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release.

The jury found James Nyonteh, 47, guilty on all counts in connection with the stabbing of 35-year-old Peachu Yates. Prosecutors charged him with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, and one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for a separate act. Yates had recently taken her three daughters with her when she left Nyonteh, who was under investigation in the sexual assault of a child.

Yates had filed an order for protection against Nyonteh and was living with family members in Champlin, where the stabbing took place.

"This was a horrific case of intimate partner and sexual violence," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a written statement. "Mr. Nyonteh is a serious threat to public safety but the public will now be safe from him."

A child reported two weeks before the murder that Nyonteh had raped her on numerous occasions, charges said.

A few hours before the killing on March 28, 2022, Champlin police were called when Nyonteh had contacted one of Yates' daughters, who were covered by the protection order.

According to the charges, Nyonteh showed up at the residence with a knife and told Yates he wanted to talk. A witness was on the phone with Yates at the time. The call was disconnected, so the witness called others in the home to check on her.

When they did, they found Yates lying in the yard bleeding and unresponsive.

Another witness heard a scream and saw an SUV heading away from the scene and running a red light. The SUV belonged to Yates.

Police in neighboring Brooklyn Park found the vehicle a few hours later with a bloody knife and hatchet inside.

A tip led police in Fargo to an apartment complex where Nyonteh was arrested the next day.

Nyonteh is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 3.