An Illinois jury has found a former PhD student guilty in the kidnap and murder of a Chinese student after abducting her at a bus stop.
The court heard that Brendt Christensen, 29, beat Yingying Zhang to death with a baseball bat and decapitated her in June 2017.
At trial, Christensen's former girlfriend testified that he had bragged about murdering Zhang, 26.
The same jury will determine if Christensen will be sentenced to death.
He sat staring blankly as the verdict was delivered on Monday.
Zhang went missing in Champaign, a city about 135mi (200km) south of Chicago, on the University of Illinois campus.
Christensen's former girlfriend, Terra Bullis, testified that he had confessed to the murder to her while they attended a vigil for the Chinese student after she was reported missing.
Ms Bullis told the court that Christensen had grabbed her phone and typed into the note function: "It was me."
He added: "She is gone. Forever."
Ms Bullis said she agreed to wear a wire for the FBI in order to record her conversations with Christensen.
Jurors heard the secretly taped audio in which Christensen describes in detail how he sexually assaulted Zhang and her "valiant" attempt to fight back.
A case that rattles China
Analysis by Zhaoyin Feng, BBC Chinese Service
After Yingying Zhang went missing two years ago, many Chinese people were rattled. This is not because Zhang was a well-known celebrity. She was quite the opposite: an average Chinese student in the US, who was new to this country and trusted a stranger.
Some 370,000 Chinese students are currently studying in the US. Many of their families and friends gasped for breath when they learned about the gruesome details of Zhang's murder revealed in court, reported at length by a wide range of Chinese media. Some cited Zhang's case to alert others to be vigilant during their stay in the US.
One of the most astonishing facts of the case, to the Chinese audience, is that Brendt Christensen admitted the murder, but he may not get a death penalty, as he argues that he suffered from mental illness. In China, "a life for a life" is ingrained among the people.
"Being sick grants you the rights to hurt others?" A Chinese netizen commented. Another wrote that if Christensen does not get a death sentence, "I'd lose all my hopes for the American judicial system."