A state appellate court has upheld the murder conviction of a central New Jersey man who strangled his girlfriend and stuffed her body in a trash bin.

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In a ruling made public Monday, the three-judge panel affirmed Paul Cibelli Jr.'s second conviction for the murder of Tania Silva. They rejected several arguments, including a claim that there was insufficient evidence to convict him.

Prosecutors have said Cibelli killed Silva in October 2005 as she was getting ready to move out of the house they shared. Her body was found several days later at a recycling facility in Philadelphia.

The 51-year-old Cibelli was first convicted in 2007, but an appeals court ordered a new trial. He was convicted again in October 2011 and is serving a 55-year sentence.

 

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