Jury Doesn't Buy Husband's Testimony, Convicts Him of Murder-Attempt for Setting His Wife on Fire
A domestic violence victim who has made the best of her life after being burned over 80 percent of her body burst into tears yesterday as a Florida jury’s verdict against her estranged husband was announced.
Christopher Hanney, 46, was found guilty of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with great bodily harm and first-degree arson by the Hillsborough Circuit Court jury after less than six hours of deliberation, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
When he is sentenced in March, the retired New York City police detective could get a maximum of life on the first two counts and as much as 30 years for the arson.
Family and friends said the greatest fear of his wife, Audrey Mabrey, 29, was that Hanney would be acquitted and attack her again. She asked reporters after the verdict was announced to urge other victims to be smart and get help.
At trial this week, Hanney blamed his wife for her burn injuries, contending that he had accidentally turned her into a fireball by kicking to try to free himself as she and an unidentified masked man who had tied him to a chair threatened him with a gun, a lighted candle and a bottle of gasoline.
However, Hanney earlier made some conflicting statements, including a letter of apology he sent Mabrey after his arrest and, according to testimony, admissions of guilt to responding sheriff’s deputies. To believe his story, argued prosecutor Jennifer Gabbard, the jury would have had to believe that all of the other witnesses in the case were lying, reports the Tampa Tribune.
Public defender Jennifer Spradley urged jurors in her closing to look beyond Mabrey’s visible scarring and focus on evidence that she said proved her client was not guilty. “Mr. Hanney never intended for this to happen,” Spradley said, arguing that he would have succeeded had he sought to kill his wife.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Burn Victim Who Chose to Be Happy Testifies in Attempted Murder and Arson Case”
ABAJournal.com: “Jury Mulls Murder-Attempt Case Against Man Who Testified Badly Burned Victim Attacked Him”
