Ex-principal convicted in murder

AMHERST, Va. (AP) - An Amherst County jury has found a former Bedford teacher and assistant principal guilty in the death of his estranged wife.

The Roanoke Times reports that they jury deliberated for about four hours Friday before finding Wesley Earnest guilty in the fatal shooting of his wife, Jocelyn, in 2007.

Earnest was first convicted of killing his wife in April, but a judge declared a mistrial in July because the jury had seen journal writings it wasn't allowed to see.

Prosecutors said Earnest drove 200 miles from his home in Chesapeake, shot his wife in the head at her Bedford home and left a typed suicide note. Police say Earnest's fingerprints were on the note. Earnest worked as assistant principal at Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake at the time.

Earnest's defense attorney argued the jury did not hear all of the possible explanations about those fingerprints.

"I think if I tried this case a thousand times, without having evidence we possess that we've attempted to put on about the finger prints and not being able to put it on, we'd lose every time," Earnest's defense attorney, Joseph Sanzone said.

Earnest's retrial was moved to Amherst County with jurors chosen from Nelson county. It began Nov. 8.

For Jocelyn's loved ones are pleased with the verdict, but say there's no real victory. "You know a situation like this, no one wins. We're happy for justice for Jocelyn," said a family member after the trial.

Jurors recommended Earnest spend the rest of his life in prison. A judge will make the final decision in January.