Not guilty!!!

I said days ago that this didn't look good...but I guess God does work in mysterious ways...

Happy that the outcome was favorable, congrats!!!


SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - A beauty queen who shot and killed her two-timing boyfriend was found not guilty of murder Wednesday.

Sharron Nicole Redmond admitted shooting her boyfriend outside the home of another woman he was dating, but said she was acting in self-defense. Redmond, 23, had faced an automatic life sentence if convicted of Kevin Shorter's death on Dec. 16, 2003. Four months earlier she had been crowned Miss Savannah.

The jury of nine women and three men deliberated for more than nine hours over two days before reaching their verdict.

Redmond, wearing a striped prayer shawl, gasped and sobbed as she was found not guilty on each of the three charges against her. She mouthed the words "thank you."

One of her attorneys, Michael Schiavone, described Redmond's reaction.

"Like the weight of the world was off her shoulders. You have no idea what it feels like to be accused of a crime like murder, being one step from walking into the lockup for the rest of your life or walking out the back door with me."

Redmond shot Shorter, 25, after a confrontation outside the home of his second girlfriend, Rachel Hall. He had dated both women for about three years.

Both women testified that the beauty queen went to Hall's home the night of the shooting to clear up allegations that she had made harassing phone calls to Hall. Each testified that they talked peacefully.

But Shorter arrived soon after and began shouting angrily at Redmond, using sexual insults. During their argument, Redmond retrieved a .40-caliber handgun she kept in her car.

After a tense confrontation, both Redmond and Shorter appeared to be leaving when the beauty queen fired a single shot from inside her car. The bullet struck Shorter in the right buttock, severing his femoral artery.

Shorter died from blood loss three days later at a Savannah hospital.

During the trial, Redmond testified she fired her gun because Shorter was leaning into the open door of his car and she feared he was reaching for a gun. The only weapon police recovered was Redmond's.

Redmond also said Shorter's first words to her that night were: "Bitch, I'm going to kill you." His anger scared her, she said, because Shorter had slapped and beaten her throughout their relationship.

Hall testified that Shorter never threatened Redmond. She said she did not see Redmond fire her gun.

Prosecutors argued that Redmond shot Shorter in jealous anger after, in Hall's presence, he told the beauty queen he no longer wanted her and she was good for nothing but sex.

Redmond testified her gunshot was meant as a warning, saying she didn't aim at Shorter. Crime scene photos showed a dent on Shorter's car where the bullet appeared to have ricocheted before hitting him.

Still, Redmond's attorneys argued she was justified to shoot Shorter in self- defense because she had reason to fear he would shoot or beat her.

"The whole key to the case was intent. The state had to prove intent to kill to prove their charges. And I think there were some serious questions about the cause of death in this case," attorney Schiavone said after the verdict. He referred to the cross-examination of the medical examiner who said doctors punctured an artery in Shorter's chest when they were putting a tube in, causing internal bleeding.

He also said he had faith in his client.

"I knew Nikki personally. Nikki went to school with my daughter in high school, so I knew what type of person Nikki was. And I knew Nikki would never kill a person intentionally," he said.

Shorter's parents sat in the back of the courtroom next to Hall as the verdict was read. They all stared straight ahead with no expression on their faces. His parents left without any public comment.

The jurors were immediately escorted to a waiting van as deputies told reporters that they did not want to comment on the case.