Photo: Surveillance images

A former Vernon man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Japanese exchange student Natsumi Kogawa.

The jury found William Victor Schneider, 51, guilty of murder despite him entering a last-minute guilty plea to interfering with human remains. 

The jury deliberated for three days before delivering the verdict Friday. 

Police found Kogawa's naked body stuffed into a suitcase on the grounds of a vacant mansion on Sept. 28, 2016. She had been reported missing three weeks earlier.

When surveillance images of Schneider and Kogawa at a Vancouver mall were made public, he fled to Vernon.

He was camping in Polson Park when he told his brother where Kogawa's body could be found. He was arrested by RCMP the same day Vancouver police located her remains.

Coroners were unable to determine a cause of death, due to the level of decomposition.

Emiko Kogawa, Natsumi's mother, broke down in court and said through an interpreter the ordeal has been very difficult for the family.  

– with files from CTV Vancouver