It was an emotional morning. Twenty-eight-year-old Kelly Forbes cried out loud as the verdict came down. The reaction was quite the opposite from the family of Michael Forbes. They began celebrating after three weeks of testimony.
"Words can't express how difficult it was," said the victim's mother, Aretha Forbes. "My son, I will never get him back, but she has a chance to walk the street again."
Kelly Forbes was found guilty of strangling her husband with an electrical cord. Her lawyer called it a case of self-defense against a man with a long criminal history. Prosecutors called it a clear-cut case of manslaughter.
District Attorney Kathleen Rice said after the verdict that jurors "saw through the defense's case and held Mrs. Forbes accountable for her actions."
The crime happened in their Merrick home while her 7-year-old daughter slept in a nearby bedroom on Nov. 21, 2007.
The couple had married only two months before.
"I was not surprised because I knew she was guilty as hell," said Aretha Forbes about the verdict.
Kelly Forbes faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. She will be sentenced on July 18.
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STORY BY: Eyewitness News Long Island reporter Lauren DeFranco
WEB PRODUCED BY: Bob Monek
