BEAVER, Pa. — After six hours of deliberations Friday, a jury found a woman accused of killing her niece guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
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Christina George-Harvan, of Conway, was accused of shooting Katelyn Francis, 21, as they left a bar in New Brighton last April. George-Harvan’s wedding was held earlier that day.
Police said the newlyweds and Francis were arguing about who would be the designated driver when the bride picked up a gun from her husband's truck and shot Francis, of Fairmont, West Virginia.
Jeremy Harvan, the suspect’s husband, took the stand during the trial and admitted his wife picked up a gun and fired.
Stephen Colafella, George-Harvan’s defense attorney, said his client loved her niece and would never hurt her. He argued that the gun simply went off when George-Harvan tried to move it inside the truck.
Colafella said George-Harvan’s husband was “belligerent and highly intoxicated” and was attempting to drive, so his client was moving the gun to make sure no one got hurt.
"This is a gun that easily discharges; sensitivity of trigger, no external safety,” said Colafella. “Her husband was highly intoxicated and carrying on inside the car.”
In addition to being found guilty of involuntarily manslaughter, George-Harvan was convicted of reckless endangerment.
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