Pa. woman convicted of murder in boyfriend's slaying

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A jury convicted a woman of murder in the shooting death of her boyfriend last summer, rejecting defense arguments that the gun went off accidentally.

Erie County jurors deliberated for about three hours Wednesday before convicting Kristina Mae Allen, 29, of third-degree murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangering and a weapons count, The Erie Times-News reported. She will be sentenced June 11.

The prosecutor, Roger Bauer, argued that Allen meant to kill Dean Haggerty, 27, in August in the couple’s mobile home in Summit Township, citing conflicting stories she gave to police. The shooting came after an argument over his accusation that she was cheating on him.

Bauer said the defendant initially said she grabbed the gun to stop Haggerty from killing himself and shot him by mistake, but in a final statement said she pointed the gun at him to scare him.

Defense attorney Eric Mikovch argued for a complete acquittal rather than a lesser verdict of involuntary manslaughter, saying Haggerty pulled out the weapon and his client was trying to protect him.