A jury at the St. Catharines courthouse has found Michael Ball guilty of the first-degree murder of Erin Howlett.

The jury reached their verdict late Sunday afternoon after deliberating since Thursday.

It was determined the Kitchener man will face a mandatory life sentence and be eligible for parole in 25 years.

Ball, 27, had pleaded not guilty in the death of Erin Howlett, 28, on June 27, 2013.

Her body was later found in a duffel bag in the Grand River in Kitchener.

Erin Howlett's mother and brother were in court to read victim impact statements.

"At this point, we have some closure," said brother Dane Howlett. "We have the ability to start moving on and finding peace, thinking simply of Erin and not about a trial. About Erin. We're definitely looking forward to that."

The crown laid out evidence across the 65 day trial that Ball choked Howlett in a jealous rage.

The two were dating at the time when Ball was a known drug dealer.

The crown said that he had found out Howlett had moved onto a new partner and this was the motive for the murder.

Ball chose not to address the court after the impact statement's on Sunday.

Ball's first trial in Kitchener ended in 2016. The jury was unable to reach a verdict.

The retrial in St. Catharines began in late January.