A woman who spent nine years in prison for the 1987 shooting death of her husband before winning a new trial was acquitted of murder Friday, ending a decadelong crusade to prove he killed himself.
Susie Mowbray gasped as the judge read the verdict. Several people in the packed courtroom applauded."This is how the justice system is supposed to work," said Robert Ford, one of Mowbray's attorneys.
After the verdict was read, Mowbray's son - a Louisiana law student who spearheaded efforts to prove his mother's innocence - and daughter rushed over to hug her.
"Thank God it's over. We have been living with this burden and this hell for 10 years," said Mowbray.
"It has been a long time," said Burnett. "I was really confident that if we did get a fair trial, this would be the result."
Jurors who deliberated about 10 hours before reaching their verdict got the case Thursday following a dramatic courtroom outburst by Mowbray, who burst into tears and shouted, "I didn't do it!"