By Rachel Engel
FireRescue1/草莓影视 Staff
OGLE COUNTY, Ill. 鈥� Matthew Plote, 36, was convicted last week in the murder of Melissa Lamesch, an EMT who was carrying his unborn child, .
Lamesch was found unconscious on the floor of her kitchen after crews responded to a house fire at her residence. Prosecutors argued that Plote strangled Lamesch before setting the blaze.
While initial reports were that Lamesch had died as a result of the house fire, the investigation revealed she had no soot in her airways or lungs.
Plote, a former Malta Fire Department volunteer firefighter-EMT, faced 10 charges, including first-degree murder and concealing a homicidal death.
The jury deliberated for two hours before rendering a guilty verdict.