BRIGHTON, Colo.—A jury convicted an Aurora woman of shooting and killing her stepmother and wounding her stepsister in December 2009.
An Adams County District judge sentenced 46-year-old Christina Wanda Sears to life in prison plus 48 years for the shootings. Jurors returned with guilty verdicts for first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder Thursday after deliberating for an hour.
Sears’ attorneys argued she was not guilty by reason of insanity.
Prosecutors say Sears went to the home of her stepmother, Eleanor J. Sears, and shot her while she was cooking. Authorities say Christina Sears then shot her stepsister and chased her through the house.
The Denver Post reports ( ) that jurors learned about more than 20 phone calls that Christina Sears made after the shootings acknowledging that she opened fire on her relatives.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
