A Lubbock man has been sentenced to 80 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend.

On Monday afternoon, a Lubbock County jury handed down the sentence to 43-year-old Steve Ballesteros for the murder of 32-year-old Maria Perez.

Ballesteros strangled Perez to death in her home near 45th Street and Elgin in April of 2012, after she reportedly accused him of cheating.

Perez was found dead in her apartment by her children and a maintenance worker, who said that her children asked him for help.

After Ballesteros murdered Perez, he later drove by the scene and taunted Lubbock Police officers. A car chase ensued, and Ballesteros wrecked his car at 50th Street and Canton Avenue, where officers took him into custody.

The jury found Ballesteros guilty of murder last week.

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