Marissa Devault Trial Update: Wife Sentenced to Life in Prison After Murdering Husband With Hammer
After three day of deliberations, the jurors that convicted Marissa Devault of beating her husband to death with a hammer sentenced the Arizona woman to life in prison, sparing her life from the death penalty.
On April 8, jurors at the Maricopa County Superior Court found Devault guilty of first-degree murder of her husband Dale Harrell, 34. The 36-year-old mother of three used a claw hammer to bash Harrell's head while he was sleeping in their home on Jan. 14, 2009. He suffered multiple skull fractures and died three weeks later in hospice.
On June 6, the judge will determine whether Devault will serve a natural life sentence or have the possibility of release after 25 years in prison, reports USA Today.
"We're happy with the decision they made, thank God. They made a decision to spare a life," said defense attorney Andrew Anderson Clemency, reports the Associated Press.
Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that the former stripper killed her husband in order to collect his almost $300,000 life insurance policy and use it to pay off a $360,000 loan to her secret boyfriend. However, defense attorneys maintained that she was a battered wife who killed her spouse in self-defense.
After being found guilty, on April 14 the jury found one aggravating factor that would make her eligible for execution, however, it was unable to reach a verdict on a second aggravating factor.
Last week, Devault delivered a tearful 11-minute plea for her life, telling the jurors that she was sorry for killing her husband, reports My Fox Phoenix.
"I've always been willing to accept full responsibility for my actions on the morning of January 14th, there were so many confusing difficult emotions and actions that I'm horrified by the untimely demise of Dale," said Devault.
Devault also said that she is sorry for her actions and that she regrets the pain that she caused.
"I can't do anything more than say I'm sorry, I can't push a back button, I can't bring him back, I can't fix everything that was wrong, I don't even know where to go back to if I had this button. I truly regret what happened and I wish I could fix it," she said.