FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Tiniko Thompson was found guilty of second-degree murder Friday in the fatal shooting of her boyfriend.
When the state gave its closing arguments earlier in the day, the prosecutor said Thompson killed her boyfriend, Miami police Officer Carl Patrick, after she ran up thousands of dollars on credit cards and faked a pregnancy.
"When Carl Patrick finally figured out what was being done, the money, the ringing up of his credit cards, the pregnancy that never was -- when he figured all of that out, her web of deceit came to an end," prosecutor Shari Tate said.
Patrick was killed in May of 2014 inside his Pembroke Pines home.
His body, still in uniform, was not found until two days later.
"She made darn sure he wasn't going to be able to talk, but he does talk. Even in his death, he talks," Tate said.
Police said Thompson claimed she was abused by Patrick. They said she claimed that they had been arguing and he pulled a gun on her. She said they struggled for the gun and she shot him in self-defense, prosecutors said.
"You leave him there to bleed out and do nothing," Tate said.
The state said Thompson could have saved Patrick's life by calling 911, and her story changed multiple times during the investigation. But the defense claims she lived in fear and confusion from the alleged abuse and was scared after the shooting.
"You might not like the verdict that you have come to in this case," defense attorney Roderick Vereen said. "You might not like the fact that you might have to file a not guilty verdict. Based on the evidence that has been represented in this case, we have no choice but to render a verdict of not guilty."
But the jury did find Thompson guilty of second-degree murder. She faces up to life in prison when she is sentenced.