FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A jury found a Broward County man accused of killing his wife five years ago guilty of second-degree murder.
Robert Oulton faced a mandatory life sentence if the jury had convicted him of first-degree murder.
Oulton took the stand in his own defense Wednesday, breaking down at times as he told the jury how he hit his wife, Yvonne, repeatedly in April 2010. He said he hid her body and tried to cover up the crime.
"I swung and I hit her and she kept hitting," Oulton said.
Oulton's adult son, Brian, testified against his father Tuesday. Brian Oulton said it was two days before he found out that his mother was murdered, and two more days before he found out that his father was accused of killing her.
Prosecutors said Oulton beat his wife of 40 years to death and left her to die in the family van after they argued about their son's business partner.
The defense argued that her death was manslaughter and not premeditated first-degree murder.
According to police, Oulton played poker at a casino after killing his wife and called his son later that night to tell him that his mother was missing.
After a brief search, Brian Oulton said his father led him straight to the van and her body.
Detectives said Oulton confessed to the killing once he was alone in the interrogation room with his son.
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