FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — A Fall River man could spend the rest of his life behind bars for stabbing another man to death on Christmas Eve 2019.

Jose Amador-Ayala, 27, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of 39-year-old Gary Werra .

Amador-Ayala was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 22 years, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III announced.

Quinn’s office said the stabbing stemmed from an argument over Werra’s ex-girlfriend, who at the time was dating Amador-Ayala but still living with Werra.

Fall River police found the victim’s body dumped behind a bakery after speaking with Amador-Ayala’s sister. She told police that Amador-Ayala admitted to killing Werra while forcing her to help him move the body.

“This was a brutal and senseless killing which was apparently motivated by both of their affections for the same woman,” Quinn said in a press release. “I appreciate the family’s patience during the almost five-year court process. I hope the defendant accepting responsibility for the murder of their loved one will bring them some consolation.”

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