Jurors have sentenced convicted murderer Stanley Polk to 50 years in prison, plus a $5,000 fine.

A Bell County jury returned a guilty verdict in this case of a rest stop stabbing in Salado on Thursday.

Polk was found guilty of murder, according to Bell County District Attorney Henry Garza.

The punishment phase of the trial started immediately after the verdict, and the final arguments were held Friday morning.

Polk was accused in the death of 62-year-old Ronald Ruiz, who was stabbed in his truck in August 2015. Polk was being trained by Ruiz at the time of the incident.

Witnesses told law enforcement they heard screams and found the victim in his truck and a man walking, then running away.

Ruiz was stabbed several times in the chest and leg and was airlifted to Baylor Scott & White Hospital in Temple, where he later died.