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12-23-2009, 09:25 AM
Woman convicted of killing man who taunted her over N.Y. Yankees decal
By Jason Kessler, CNN
New York (CNN) -- A New Hampshire jury on Monday found a Nashua woman guilty of second-degree murder for running over a man who had heckled her for being a New York Yankees fan.
Ivonne Hernandez, 45, was accused in the May 2008 killing of 29-year-old Matthew Beaudoin.
Prosecutors said the confrontation began as a dispute between Hernandez and a female friend of Beaudoin's outside a bar. It escalated when Beaudoin noticed a large Yankees decal in the rear window of Hernandez's Dodge Intrepid and started to taunt her about the major league baseball team.
When Hernandez started to drive away, Beaudoin briefly followed the car on foot. Hernandez then turned her car around and returned to the alley where Beaudoin and his friends remained and struck him. He later died from his injuries, which included multiple skull fractures.
The defense argued Hernandez's actions were accidental -- a byproduct of her disorientation and panic after the confrontation.
But prosecutors said in New Hampshire Superior Court, "a few curse words and some insults to a baseball team do not justify murder."
Beaudoin's sister, Faith, said her family was delighted with Monday's verdict. It's "absolutely wonderful to have a Christmas gift like this," she told CNN.
The prosecution also expressed satisfaction with the jury's decision.
"We're very pleased with the verdict," senior assistant attorney general Susan Morrell said. "We believe it's a fair and just verdict based on the evidence."
Calls to Hernandez's attorneys weren't returned Monday.
Hernandez could face a sentence of up to life in prison.
By Jason Kessler, CNN
New York (CNN) -- A New Hampshire jury on Monday found a Nashua woman guilty of second-degree murder for running over a man who had heckled her for being a New York Yankees fan.
Ivonne Hernandez, 45, was accused in the May 2008 killing of 29-year-old Matthew Beaudoin.
Prosecutors said the confrontation began as a dispute between Hernandez and a female friend of Beaudoin's outside a bar. It escalated when Beaudoin noticed a large Yankees decal in the rear window of Hernandez's Dodge Intrepid and started to taunt her about the major league baseball team.
When Hernandez started to drive away, Beaudoin briefly followed the car on foot. Hernandez then turned her car around and returned to the alley where Beaudoin and his friends remained and struck him. He later died from his injuries, which included multiple skull fractures.
The defense argued Hernandez's actions were accidental -- a byproduct of her disorientation and panic after the confrontation.
But prosecutors said in New Hampshire Superior Court, "a few curse words and some insults to a baseball team do not justify murder."
Beaudoin's sister, Faith, said her family was delighted with Monday's verdict. It's "absolutely wonderful to have a Christmas gift like this," she told CNN.
The prosecution also expressed satisfaction with the jury's decision.
"We're very pleased with the verdict," senior assistant attorney general Susan Morrell said. "We believe it's a fair and just verdict based on the evidence."
Calls to Hernandez's attorneys weren't returned Monday.
Hernandez could face a sentence of up to life in prison.