Man convicted of killing wife nearly 30 years ago
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) – A jury in Middle Tennessee has convicted a man of murder in the death of his wife in 1986.
The Daily News Journal (http://on.dnj.com/1IvfTE8) reports jurors deliberated for about two hours on Tuesday before convicting Jewell Moses Bess of killing Deborah Bess in a case that was originally ruled a suicide.
The investigation of the fatal shooting was reopened in 2011 and a Rutherford County grand jury indicted Bess in 2014.
Bess took the stand near the end of the six-day trial. He denied that he shot his wife and said she shot herself.
His adult son, Michael Bess, testified earlier in the trial that he saw his father hold a gun to Deborah Bess’ head. He said the gun went off when she tried to move it.
