Man convicted of killing girlfriend on Valentine's

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida man has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting his girlfriend on Valentine's Day when she tried to leave him.

A Palm Beach County judge sentenced 29-year-old Gibson Paul on Wednesday after a jury convicted him of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, shooting into an occupied vehicle and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Prosecutors say Paul had been living with Tomicka Peterson in Riviera Beach until Feb. 14, when she ended the relationship and tried to leave with friends. Paul fired a pistol at the group's car, which contained a male driver, two female passengers and a 3-year-old girl. Peterson was hit five times and died at the scene. Another woman was grazed.

Paul fled to Kingsport, Tenn., where he was eventually arrested.