THE wife of an Army corporal broke down in the Central Criminal Court yesterday after she was jailed for life for his murder.
Norma Cotter (28), a mother of one, fell back in her seat and wept after the jury returned its majority verdict. She was comforted by her father, who had sat with her throughout the trial.
Mrs Cotter had denied the murder of her husband, Cpl Gary Cotter (40), at their home at Broomfield West, Midleton, Co Cork, on January 3rd last year. He was shot dead in the bedroom of their home.
The jury took almost six hours to reach its verdict in the four day hearing. It retired to consider its verdict at 4.50 p.m. on Wednesday and was sent to a hotel at 7 p.m.
The six men and women returned to court at 11 a.m. yesterday and listened to Mr Justice Lavan read to them, on their request, the evidence of three witnesses who testified during the trial Mrs Rose Fenton, Mrs Ann Deane and Mrs Cotter.
Mr Justice Lavan completed reading the evidence at 12.18 p.m. and the jury then resumed its deliberations. At 4.15 p.m. the judge told the jury it could reach a majority decision on which at least 10 of them had to agree.
The jury returned with its verdict at 5.40 p.m. after five hours and 50 minutes deliberation. The jury foreman said it was a 10/2 decision of guilty of murder.
A red eyed Mrs Cotter, wearing a navy blazer and trousers and a multi coloured blouse, slumped back in her seat as the verdict was read to the court.
Mr Justice Lavan then asked her to stand.
He said: "Norma Cotter, you have been found guilty on the first count, namely that you did murder Gary Cotter on January 3rd 1995."
He said he had a duty to impose the mandatory sentence of imprisonment for life. He thanked the jury for "a difficult task well performed" and discharged them from further service for seven years.
Mr Barry White SC, defending, asked for leave to appeal. Mr Justice Lavan refused but granted Mr White a certificate of legal aid in the event of an appeal.
The State pathologist, Dr John Harbison, told the court that Mr Cotter died due to shock and haemorrhage as a result of lacerations and wound in his right lung from a single shotgun wound in the chest.
He said Mr Cotter had been shot from behind, and he deduced that he was turning away from the gun when it was fired. Dr Harbison said he also found evidence that a second shot had been fired in the bedroom.
The trial heard that Mrs Cotter told gardai she shot her husband in the bedroom of their home early on January 3rd, 1995.
Mrs Cotter and her husband had been out drinking earlier but he went home before his wife. Mrs Cotter went on to a party at a friend's house, collecting a bottle of vodka from her own home on the way. In evidence to the court, Mrs Cotter said she was very drunk when she returned to her home. She said she and her husband had an argument over who would collect their son Christopher from her parent's house. Her husband kept "nagging" at her to collect the child and she kept repeating it was too early, she said.
Mrs Cotter said she got sick and her husband kicked her out of the bed. She went downstairs on two occasions and said she remembered having a gun upstairs.
Weeping, Mrs Cotter told the court: "I remember a bang, I was facing Gary and the wardrobe and I pulled the trigger.
She said: "I wanted Gary to leave me alone. . . I just wanted him to stop coming at me and hitting me. All I wanted to do was go to bed and he wouldn't leave me."
She denied any intention of killing or seriously injuring her husband.