An Arlington woman intentionally shot her husband in the stomach in 2006 despite her claim that the gun accidentally went off, a jury decided Friday.
Cynthia Katherine See, 43, was convicted of first-degree assault.
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Cowsert is scheduled to sentence her May 14.
Under state law, she could be sentenced to 15 years behind bars, although both the prosecutor and the defense attorney said they do not know yet what sentence will be recommended to the judge.
Her husband was severely injured but lived. He testified against her this week.
The shooting happened in the garage of the couple’s rural Arlington home. Both kept pistols with them at all times. Her husband works for a truck manufacturer and she worked at home transcribing medical records.
The two argued the evening of Feb. 28, 2006, when he returned home and found out that she had been drinking. The argument spilled over into the garage, where she repeatedly pounded her purse on the side of a truck.
The contents of her purse, including a 9 mm pistol, spilled onto the floor. She testified she bent down to pick up the purse contents and he approached her and startled her. The gun then went off.
Deputy prosecutor Paul Stern argued that See was well trained in handling firearms and should have known to keep her finger off the trigger – unless she wanted to shoot her husband.
During the trial, her husband was described as controlling. Stern told the seven men and five women on the panel that their opinion of him should not be considered in deciding the case.
“You might understand what she did, but you still have to hold her responsible,” Stern told jurors.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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