Man convicted of killing elderly neighbor in Novi

PONTIAC (AP) - A Detroit-area man has been found guilty of killing his 84-year-old neighbor. The Detroit Free Press says an Oakland County jury deliberated for a little more than an hour last Friday before returning its verdict against Peter Gerard Jones. The 47-year-old faces mandatory life in prison after being convicted of first-degree felony murder and first-degree murder in the death of Bernice Schaufele. Schaufele's body was found Jan. 13 in her Novi condominium. Authorities say Jones strangled and stabbed Schaufele and stole money and jewelry to buy crack cocaine. Jones lived two doors down from Schaufele. He was on parole at the time of the killing. Jones pleaded no contest to manslaughter after authorities say he fatally stabbed a Detroit man in 1997. Published: Tue, Sep 16, 2014