Massachusetts teen sentenced to life in prison in classmate's beheading

SALEM, Mass. (WPIX/CNN) -- A Massachusetts teen convicted of beheading a classmate nearly three years ago got life in prison on Tuesday.

Judge Helene Kazanjian handed down two life sentences for Mathew Borges, 18, of Lawrence.

It comes less than two months after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder for the 2016 killing of then-16-year-old Lee Manuel Villoria-Paulino.

Fifteen years old at the time of the murder, Borges will serve two life sentences concurrently. He will be eligible for parole after 30 years.

Edward Hayden, Borges' attorney, said that Borges should receive the possibility of parole after 25 years, arguing that Borges was a child at the time of the murder and has potential for rehabilitation.

“He is not irredeemably depraved. There is hope for his redemption. He can change his life,” Hayden said.

Paulino's body was discovered on the bank of the Merrimack River in December 2016, decapitated and missing his hands.

During the trial, the prosecution argued that Borges was jealous because Paulino had spent time with his girlfriend. Prosecutors said Borges distracted Paulino to get him out of his house while other teens robbed it, and then killed him.

CNN affiliate WCVB reported that medical examiners found 76 wounds on Paulino's body — and that they were unable to determine whether particular wounds, including his beheading, took place before or after his death.