Melissa Price, weeps outside of court yesterday after hearing how her freind was tortured with a blow torch. She talks about how Catlin Cousineau was her best freind when the two went to highschool. (Tracy McLaughlin/Sun Media)

After three days of deliberations, a jury found a Midland Ont. man guilty today of the brutal torture of a mentally challenged woman.

Paul Bradey, 46, sat stone cold in the prisoner’s as a jury gave its verdict of guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of indignity to a human body and guilty of arson.

Over the past two months, the jury sat through horrific evidence of how Cousineau – a 23-year-old with the maturity of a 13-year-old – was trapped in the basement, naked, while Bradey burned her entire body with a blow torch November 11, 2005. She lay on the basement floor for two days before she died.

Bradey then schemed to burn his house down to hide the evidence.

Cousineau lived with Bradey and his girlfriend and handed over her disability check. She was forced to sleep in the dank basement with no bed.

Bradey would often beat her, and occassionally handcuffed her in the basement.

Bradey was immediately taken into custody while his mother and father sat in the front of the court.

Outside of court, Bradey’s mother wept while his father comforted her.

“Thank God, this monster is in the cage where he belongs,” said Cousineau’s high school friend, Melissa Price, who sat through part of the horrific trial.