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Man Whose Wife Was Last Seen In 1981 Convicted Of Murder

TORRANCE (CBS)  — A former Torrance resident whose wife vanished more than 30 years ago was convicted Wednesday of second-degree murder.

A Torrance Superior Court jury deliberated less than a day before finding Michael Lubahn Clark, 59, guilty in the slaying of his wife.

Carol Jeanne Lubahn, 28, was last seen alive on March 31, 1981. Her body was never found.

Torrance police reopened the cold case and eventually arrested the house painter in April 2011 at his Huntington Beach town home.

The couple -- who were high school sweethearts and graduates of North High School in Torrance -- were the parents of two children and had been married 10 years when she disappeared.

Clark contended that his wife simply left home in the middle of the night.

He is facing 15 years to life in state prison. Clark's due back in court for sentencing Dec. 12.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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