Stabber picking his own sentence...

I don't usually care much for the news here. It's usually boring or anti-US and it's usually badly written. But this case is amazingly ignorant. The guy stabbed his ex 216 times, but claims he didn't intend for her to die...

The jury in the Sophie Elliott murder trial decided to retire overnight and continue its deliberations today, and members were allowed to go home for the night.

Under new rules, juries do not need to be sequestered together at a hotel when the deliberations continue overnight, and Justice Judith Potter allowed them to return home after the trial's 19th day in the High Court at Christchurch.

They will be back in the jury room to consider the verdict at 9.30am today.

Clayton Robert Weatherston, a 33-year-old University of Otago economics lecturer,

denies the charge of murder but has indicated he would plead guilty to a charge of manslaughter.

The defence argued that Weatherston was provoked to attack Ms Elliott, 22, and stab her 216 times at her Dunedin home on January 9 last year, while the Crown has said it was a pre-meditated killing.

In her summing up the judge told the jury its verdict in the case "will be simply guilty or not guilty on the charge of murder".

She said no reasons or explanations were required but the verdict had to be unanimous.

The jury retired at 1.40pm after Justice Potter completed her summing up of the trial, and then came back into the court after 5pm so the judge could discuss options with them.

The decision to retire overnight was made at 5.10pm.

- NZPA

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/crime/news/article.cfm?c_id=30&objectid=10585855

Hopefully the verdice will be today or tomorrow and it will be the right one.

**UPDATE**

A jury has found former Otago University tutor Clayton Weatherston guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend Sophie Elliott.

The jury returned its verdict at the High Court in Christchurch about 11.20am.

Weatherston, 33, was charged with the murder of Ms Elliott, 22, in Dunedin on January 9 last year. Weatherston accepted he was guilty of manslaughter, but denied the charge of murder.

Members of Sophie Elliott's family and supporters erupted in a cheer as the guilty verdict was delivered today.

One person shouted out "yes" and another said "you beauty" and one "well done" - directed towards the jury.

Miss Elliott's immediate family sobbed and hugged in the public gallery and outside the courtroom.

Weatherston showed little emotion as the verdict was delivered.

Outside court, Sophie Elliot's mother Lesley said her family was really, really pleased with the verdict.

"It was the right decision, it's been a long 18 months for us and we needed to see justice for Sophie, for her loss of life, and also for a lot of other girls that may be in that position.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10585763