He claimed she overdosed. A Valley jury disagreed and convicted him of murder

A jury convicted a 35-year-old man Friday of murdering his girlfriend inside their Visalia home by strangling her, according to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.

Andres Ybarra was arrested in July 2016 while at work, days after first responders found his girlfriend, 26-year-old Ruby Lopez, dead in her bed.

Ybarra claimed Lopez had overdosed on prescription medication.

An autopsy revealed four broken ribs, lacerations to her liver, a ruptured kidney, damage to the renal artery, a black eye and a broken nose, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said.

The autopsy also showed the victim’s body had signs of strangulation — hemorrhaging in her neck and head and a broken bone in her neck. The cause of death was ruled as strangulation and blunt force trauma.

Ybarra’s sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 28 in Tulare County Superior Court. He faces 15 years to life in prison.

This story was originally published September 14, 2019 at 10:30 AM.