Restaurant worker convicted of killing boss

FALL RIVER (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - A former dishwasher has been convicted of killing the manager of a Dartmouth, Mass., restaurant where he worked.

Thirty-two-year-old Ryan Jones of New Bedford was convicted of first-degree murder Thursday by a Fall River Superior Court jury that rejected his insanity defense. The panel deliberated for 5 1/2 hours over two days after a five-day trial.

Prosecutors say Jones beat 39-year-old Valerie Oranski of Middleborough with a metal pipe and stabbed her repeatedly with a knife in the bathroom of the Old Country Buffet restaurant in July 2006. Authorities say Jones was angry that Oranski had reprimanded him several times.

Jones' defense lawyer, Michael Zeman, said his client had a long history of mental illness and could not control his actions.