A jury recently found a man from Pacific, Missouri, guilty of the homicide of his girlfriend. The jury deliberated for about six hours yesterday and returned the verdict this morning.

The murder of the 25-year-old woman happened in 2009 and key issue at the trial was not whether the man committed the murder, but whether the murder was premeditated. Although homicide cases all involve the death of a person, the circumstances surrounding a person's death are crucial to determining a defendant's level of culpability and punishment. In cases of self-defense, a defendant may not be criminally charged in connection with a homicide. In cases of deliberate or premeditated murder, a defendant can face the death penalty in some situations.

In this case the 39-year-old Pacific man may face the death penalty. His public defender argued that there was no deliberation in the murder because it happened in the course of a fight. The prosecution maintained that the defendant exhibited "cool reflection" in murdering his girlfriend.

It is possible that the gruesome details of this murder may have influenced the jury's decision against the man. The 25-year-old woman was dismembered and parts of her body were found in a trash can outside of the man's apartment. The jurors were shown graphic photos of the woman's dismembered body, which was placed in the glued-shut trash can with ice.

The woman had 25 stab wounds and there was an indication that someone tried to cut off her legs. Her blood was also found in every room in the man's home. Despite no real disagreement over whether the man committed the crime, the particularly bad facts of this murder will likely make it more difficult for the man's attorneys to help him avoid the death penalty.

Source: Post-Dispatch, "Pacific man found guilty in killing of girlfriend," Leah Thorsen, Feb. 2, 2012