GREENSBURG, Pa.,None — A southwest Greensburg man is appealing his first-degree murder conviction and life sentence in a shooting fueled by a love triangle.
Richard McAnulty's attorney claims the verdict was against the weight of the evidence and that McAnulty should have been convicted of voluntary manslaughter, according to Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE.
Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck convinced the jury that McAnulty committed premeditated murder by driving more than 40 minutes from his home to kill Harry Mears, 39, in July 2010.
The jury found McAnulty guilty of first-degree murder, burglary and carrying a firearm as a felon.
But defense attorney Tim Andrews argues McAnulty acted in the heat of passion after discovering sexually explicit emails between his wife and the victim about a year after their affair ended.
Andrews said it wasn't a "typical affair" between McAnulty's wife, Diane, and Mears. He said it was a "master-slave" relationship, and Diane was the slave.
According to witnesses, McAnulty drove his pickup truck to the house, then got out and kicked down the door before firing shots at Mears, 39, while chasing him through the house.
Witnesses said McAnulty shouted, "You'll never sleep with another man's wife," before he shot Mears.
Previous Stories: August 9, 2011: Greensburg Man Gets Life For Killing Wife's Lover August 26, 2010: 'I Killed Him': Love Triangle Slaying Witness Testifies July 20, 2010: Police: Additional Charges Filed Against Greensburg Man Who Killed Wife's Lover
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