By Roger McKinney

rmckinney@joplinglobe.com

COLUMBUS, Kan. — A Cherokee County jury on Thursday found Robert Jarman guilty of second-degree murder in the 2007 shooting death of his wife, Suzanne Jarman.

Robert and Suzanne Jarman’s children, Carly and Tyler, and other members of the family wept openly in court when the verdict was announced. Suzanne Jarman was 42 when she died on Aug. 22, 2007.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 15. Jarman faces a potential of 12 1/4 to 13 3/4 years in prison. Jarman’s attorney, Sam Marsh, said he would file motions for a judgment of acquittal and for a new trial.

Jurors began deliberating at 10:48 a.m. after closing arguments. The jury returned its verdict at 1:03 p.m. The time included a break for lunch.

Jarman, 46, was found guilty of intentional second-degree murder. Jury instructions also gave jurors the options of finding him guilty of reckless second-degree murder or involuntary manslaughter, or finding him innocent.

The defendant didn’t testify during the trial, which started Monday.

Expert testimony

In his closing remarks, Barry Disney, assistant Kansas attorney general, said undisputed facts in the case included that Suzanne Jarman was killed by a shotgun blast and that Robert Jarman was the shooter.

He said prosecution experts determined that Suzanne Jarman was facing toward a gun safe, away from her husband, and that the entire shotgun blast struck the back of her head. He said the expert witnesses also testified that the gun was parallel to the floor, in the traditional firing position, when it was fired. Also, the gun couldn’t accidentally discharge, he said.

In a recording of his 911 call played during the trial, a frantic Robert Jarman was heard telling the dispatcher that he was handing his wife a shotgun when cleaning out a gun safe, and that it discharged and hit her.

The expert witnesses who testified Tuesday were forensic pathologist Erik Mitchell, Kansas Bureau of Investigation blood pattern specialist Michael Van Stratton, and KBI gun expert David Wright.

Disney told jurors that Jarman’s act was intentional.

“Did he mean to pull the trigger?” Disney said. “If he meant to pull the trigger, then he meant to kill her.”