WOODBURY — A 48-year-old man was convicted Wednesday of aggravated manslaughter in the 2012 death of a Paulsboro woman in her home.

Thirza Sweeten, 79, of South Delaware Avenue, was found beaten, strangled and stabbed on March 19, 2012, said authorities.

Assistant Gloucester County Prosecutor Temperance Williamson presented testimony from an acquaintance of Sweeten’s that she saw a man identified as Samuel K. Davis open a back window of the elder woman’s house the night before her body was found.

By contrast, Davis told investigators he wasn’t at the house that night and had “no involvement” in the murder, authorities said.

A part-time car detailer, Davis was a friend of Sweeten’s son, who lived on-and-off with his mother. The son was in a hospital at the time of the murder.

New Jersey State Police DNA scientists presented statistical formulas showing a high likelihood blood on Davis’ pants and blood from a golf club believed to be one of the murder weapons was Davis’ blood.

Davis’ lawyer, Richard O’Brien, argued that his client had no motive to kill Sweeten and had denied 32 times that he was involved in her murder, authorities said.

The prosecutor countered that motive is not required to prove guilt and that “overwhelming science” linked Davis to the killing.

The trial spanned nine days over three weeks. The jury returned the verdict in about seven hours.

Sentencing was scheduled for March 20. Davis faces a sentence of from 10 to 30 years in prison. He remained in jail in default of $350,000 bail. He was charged with murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon on Jun 28, 2012. He’d been in jail on a Megan’s Law violation not related to the murder since March 20, 2012.

Wednesday the jury found Davis not guilty of the murder, assault and weapons charges.

The defense lawyer presented no witnesses, but questioned the steps officers took to preserve and collect evidence at the crime scene.