A court in New Zealand today acquitted a mother-of-four of charges of murdering her Indian- origin partner earlier this year.
A jury of seven women and five men in the Wellington High Court cleared Jessica Lee Keefe of charges of murdering Sean Verma, 30, at his flat in Wellington on January 29.
The jury Keefe, 30, had pleaded not guilty to murdering Verma, Fairfax NZ News reported.
She cried into her hands after the jury delivered its unanimous verdict of not guilty of murder and a majority verdict of not guilty of manslaughter.
Keefe told police that she could not remember how the knife went into Verma's chest. She said he had been hitting her.
Neighbours who could see into the flat through its tall windows, said they saw Keefe fighting back.
She was described as swinging something at Verma and later it was discovered a 60-inch television screen in the flat was cracked in two places.
During a trial that began last week, the jury heard that Keefe and Verma had a history of fights, especially after drinking.
