Young Man Found Guilty In Mother's Murder
PONTIAC (WWJ/AP) - A 22-year-old metro Detroit man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal beating and stabbing of his 51-year-old mentally ill mother.
The jury announced its verdict Tuesday afternoon in Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac.
Jeffrey Pyne was charged in last year's killing of Ruth Pyne at their home in Highland Township. Investigators said she had been beaten and stabbed 16 times in the neck. Her body was found by her young daughter in the garage.
Prosecutors said Jeffrey Pyne killed his mother because he was tired of dealing with her mental illness and abuse. Nine months before she was killed, Ruth Pyne was jailed for attempting to strangle her son.
Defense lawyer James Champion called the case a "rush to judgment," saying a stranger or a jilted lover likely killed her.
Jeffrey Pyne, a former high school valedictorian, was studying biology at University of Michigan.
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
