A Peoria County jury has found a man guilty of fatally stabbing his estranged wife after he opted not to participate in his trial.

According to reports, 47-year-old Clarence Thomas of Peoria was convicted Tuesday of stabbing Martha Thomas 38 times in January 2010.

Thomas had chosen to act as his own attorney but refused to participate in the first day of the trial Monday. He told the judge he wasn't ready for trial and that he thought his rights had been violated.

He faces decades behind bars when he is sentenced in December. The judge initially wanted to set sentencing in January but Tomas requested an earlier date so he could file his appeal faster.

Appellate judges had nullified a previous conviction in the case in 2013.