by hameen sleek
Na Cola Franklin has been found guilty of murder in the death of her fiancé on their wedding day. The Pennsylvania woman was convicted of murder in first-degree Thursday (May 23).
Franklin, 32, was found guilty of stabbing 36-year-old Billy Rafael Brewster last summer, allegedly after a drunken night out escalated. Prosecutors says that Franklin confronted Brewster in their Whitehall Township apartment at around 2 a.m. on Aug. 11, 2012. They were scheduled to wed at 10 a.m.
Jurors deliberated for three hours before returning the verdict. The courtroom was reportedly packed with the victim's family members and others interested in the trial. On the last day of trial, Franklin is said to have shown no emotion, with the exception of a sharp look shot at her lawyer after the conviction was announced.
Defense attorney John Waldron told jurors that the incident went down after Franklin came home after a night of drinking at her surprise bachelorette party. Brewster is accused of trying to attack her and flee with their 9-month-old son. As such, Waldron argued that the altercation was not premeditated, but a result of Franklin trying to protect her child in the heat of the moment, and should therefore warrant a manslaughter charge; which holds a much lighter sentence.
Prosecutors stated that the baby was never in danger and that Franklin grabbed a knife with intentions to kill, a theory further proven by the victims cousins' testimony.
According to an autopsy report, Brewster's heart was punctured after two stab wounds. Franklin was immediately taken into custody following the fatal bout, appearing emotionally disoriented and in disbelief, sobbing to the judge "I ... did ... not ... kill ... him ... on ... purpose."
She was initially taken in for criminal homicide.
If convicted Franklin faces life in prison, and is expected to appeal the verdict.
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