MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey woman convicted of manslaughter after authorities said police arrived to find her digging a grave for her dead wife at their home three years ago has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Jurors in Burlington County acquitted 31-year-old Laura Bluestein of first-degree murder after deliberating over three days in February, but they convicted her of aggravated manslaughter and evidence-tampering. Defense attorney Robin Lord has vowed an appeal.
Bluestein said the August 2017 shooting death of 29-year-old Felicia Dormans in the couples Mount Holly home was accidental. “Felicia was and still is the love of my life,” she said Wednesday, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Prosecutors sought a 30-year sentence. Superior Court Judge Terrence Cook called it “a terrible situation: Two families forever affected by the reckless conduct of this defendant.”
The victim’s parents testified in court about their loss, the Inquirer reported. Joe Dormans said every day they “wake up to a huge hole in our hearts.” Christina Dormans said “I wake up in pain and I go to sleep in pain. There are days when I really walk around in a fog and go through the motions. I no longer trust anyone.”
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