Nancy Kissel found guilty in "Milkshake Murder" case

(CBS/AP) HONG KONG - Nancy Kissel, an American woman who drugged her investment banker-husband with a milkshake and bludgeoned him to death more than seven years ago was convicted of murder by a Hong Kong jury Friday, the second trial in the high-profile "Milkshake Murder" case.

The unanimous verdict and automatic life sentence match the outcome of the first trial against Nancy Kissel, whose lawyers argued she was a battered, clinically-depressed wife who acted under diminished responsibility when her husband provoked her attack.

The prosecution argued Robert Kissel's death in November 2003 was a carefully planned murder that Nancy Kissel tried to conceal.

Prosecutors said Nancy Kissel struck at least five blows to her husband's head with a metal ornament while Robert Kissel lay face down in the bedroom, subdued by six drugs mixed in a milkshake. She then covered the body with a plastic bag and towels, wrapped it in a carpet and had it moved to storage.

Nancy Kissel testified Robert's behavior changed after she had the first of the couple's three children in 1994.

"The more involved he got with the investment banking, the more forceful he was with me sexually," a tearful Kissel testified.

Robert Kissel worked for Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong. His estate was worth $18 million in life insurance, stocks and properties, according to prosecutors.

The 46-year-old native of Adrian, Mich. did not appear to react as the verdict was announced in court. She also appeared frail and withdrawn throughout the trial. When she took the stand last month, she told the court she weighed 84 pounds, about 35 pounds lighter than when she entered prison more than 5 years ago. Her lawyer explained that her weight loss was evidence of her mental state deteriorating. 

Her lawyer asked the judge Friday to recommend compassion for her when a review board evaluates the life sentence. He cited her good character and the context of the crime, which the defense alleges came from an abusive relationship. 

The jury returned the verdict after 47 days of trial.