The jury in the murder trial of Robert Luch reached its verdict Thursday, finding him guilty of first-degree and second-degree murder in the fatal 2010 shooting of wife Jocelyn Luch at their Turnagain home.
As the verdict was read, Luch looked straight forward, with no expression on his face. His three daughters cried as they heard the verdict.
Thursday’s verdict, after a single day of deliberations, concludes a two-week trial in which both sides agreed that Robert Luch shot his wife to death on Sept. 28, 2010 at a house on Telstar Circle, after she began seeing Bryan Fuqua -- but strongly disagreed on their theories of the crime.
Prosecutors described Luch as fueled by a fit of jealousy that night, saying his wife told police she’d been shot -- with a gun Luch bought 11 days earlier -- after informing Luch they were getting a divorce. According to prosecutor Clint Campion, Luch tried to kill himself with pills after the shooting.
Luch’s defense portrayed the shooting as the result of a struggle during his bathroom confrontation with Jocelyn. When Luch took the stand Monday, he claimed Jocelyn had lunged for the gun, which he’d brought because she often confronted him with a knife. Under cross-examination from Campion, he said, “It takes two to create a melee.”
In closing arguments Wednesday, the prosecution said Luch was a “controlling and manipulative man” who “took ultimate control” when he shot his wife to gain control over a situation that was slipping out of his grip. Defense attorney Andrew Lambert argued the case as if he were Luch, denying that his client planned Jocelyn’s death.
“I’m completely responsible for the death of my wife, but it’s not a murder that was committed,” Lambert told jurors.
Luch is scheduled to be sentenced June 7.
This is a developing story. Please check KTUU.com and the Channel 2 newscasts for updates.
Contact Garrett Turner, Rebecca Palsha and Chris Klint
