Man jailed for murdering his ex-girlfriend who was left in a vegetative state for three years after he pushed her out of his pickup truck during a fight

A New Jersey man has been found guilty of the involuntary manslaughter of his ex-girlfriend and been sentenced to spend up to 20 years behind bars.

Michael Morrone was charged on Wednesday with the third degree murder of Christine McGhee after a December 2008 incident left her in a vegetative state.

McGhee was a sophomore at Kutztown University in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and she was drunk at a party when she called her ex, Morrone, to come get her.

WFMZ reports that witnesses saw the pair arguing as they drove off from the party.

Further into the drive, Morrone pushed McGhee out of the cab of his pickup truck and threw her cell phone and bag after her.

McGhee then gained her footing on the running board- the slight step off the side of the truck- and Morrone purposefully sped up causing her to fly off and hit her head.

The prosecution argued that he knew she was injured but he decided to drive away and flee the scene.

Prosecutors argued that he wanted to speed away to get rid of McGhee, not simply go home.

She broke her jaw and was left in a vegetative state as a result of the accident for more than three years and died in 2012.

The coroner ruled that her March 2012 death came as a result of brain injuries sustained in the accident.

Morrone, now 26, had previously been convicted of aggravated assault in 2010 in connection to the incident, but this latest verdict came when prosecutors were able to charge him for causing her death.