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Verdict In For Millionaire Boyfriend Murder Trial

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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – The verdict is finally in for the woman who admitted to killing her multimillionaire boyfriend.

After two days of deliberation, jurors found Catherine Pileggi guilty of second-degree murder and she now faces life in prison, as reported by the Sun Sentinel.

Pileggi admits she shot, stabbed and beat her boyfriend, 70-year old Ronald Vinci, with a hammer at his mansion in 2011.

Pileggi's attorneys said she suffered from battered spouse syndrome and feared for her life.

On the stand, Pileggi testified that her boyfriend of 20-years sexually and physically abused her.

On the day of his death, June 28th, 2011, Pileggi said Vinci threatened to kill her and even pointed a loaded gun at her head. She told jurors she was in such fear she soiled herself and that was when Vinci put the gun down.

According to Pileggi, Vinci chased her up the stairs of his $3 million mansion in Fort Lauderdale, but fell and cracked his head. Pileggi reportedly helped him up to his bedroom, before cleaning the blood on stairs.

Pileggi said after bathing and changing her clothes, she noticed the gun Vinci had pointed at her was loaded.

That is when she said a mix of emotions overcame her – realizing he could have killed her at any moment – and she shot Vinci.

"Do you believe that he would have gotten up and killed you that night," asked prosecutor Brian Cavangh.

"Yes," she said.

Pileggi said a few hours later she beat him with a hammer, slashed his throat and stabbed him through the heart.

She insisted all of the damage done was in self-defense.

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