After being convicted of murdering a University of Colorado Colorado Springs professor during a robbery gone wrong in 2024, the man, who a jury ruled responsible, learned Friday he will face a harsher sentencing.

On Thursday, an El Paso County jury found Ceasar Wilson, 54, guilty of fatally stabbing Visual and Performing Arts professor Haleh Abghari five times after sneaking into her Colorado Springs home through her garage the night of Aug. 7, 2024.

Wilson was found guilty on all charges, including second-degree murder, felony murder and aggravated robbery.

Abghari, a 54-year-old native of Iran, joined the university in 2015 as the head of the voice program for the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, according to a UCCS website page.

An obituary describes her as a “multi-talented” artist who “excelled as a singer, actor and voice-over artist” for audiences in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Wilson will be sentenced as a habitual offender

Since he was previously convicted of more than a dozen felonies, the jury further ruled Friday that Wilson will face a harsher punishment as a habitual offender during his April 29 sentencing.

A harsher punishment means he is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison. According to an article by Criminal Defense Attorney Casey Kane, habitual offenders with three prior felony convictions typically receive a minimum sentence that is four times the usual maximum.

4th Judicial District Judge Laura Findorff will make the final call during the sentencing hearing, where people affected by the killing will have a chance to speak.

Many of Wilson’s past crimes were gone over in court Friday by District Attorney Melissa Bollig.

Bollig presented the jury several pictures of Wilson through his years of incarceration at a North Carolina prison, showing them his fingerprint cards for every time he was booked.

Many of his convictions were related to armed robberies in the ’90s, with at least one also including an assault charge against a peace officer.

How much time Wilson served for each crime wasn’t made entirely clear, but the courtroom was shown several lengthy prison sentences of up to 20 years.

Wilson will await his sentence hearing at the El Paso County jail, where records show he has three bond holds totaling $258,000.