A Vermont jury has convicted a New Hampshrie man on Friday over the fatal shooting and dismemberment of his wife while they were on a trip to mark their one-year wedding anniversary.
The jury rejected the second-degree murder and manslaughter charges and found Joseph Ferlazzo, 41, guilty of first degree murder, according to VTDigger.org.
The deliberations took about five hours, which including listening to a recording of Ferlazzo's 50-minute testimony during the week-long trial. He was the only witness called by the defense.
Ferlazzo was arrested in October 2021, after his 22-year-old wife, Emily Jean, was reported missing. Emily's dismembered remains were found in the couple's camper four days after she was reported missing and after the arrest of her husband, who is a tattoo artist by profession.
Defense Claimed Ferlazzo Shot Emily in Self-Defense, Said She was Abusive
Prosecutors argued that Ferlazzo shot his wife during an argument in their camper just hours after they arrived in Vermont on October 15, 2021 in what they called a pre-meditated killing.
He then spent days preparing a cover-up, they said. Defense attorneys argued that Ferlazzo shot his nurse wife in self-defense, although he made no such claim in a confession made on his arrest in 2021. The defense said there had been a pattern of abuse in their relationship and that Emily had previously hit Joseph multiple times.
On the stand last week, he claimed that his wife pulled a handgun from behind a pillow while they argued and said, "That's it. You're dead," so he shot her with a gun he already had in his hand. He testified that he didn't even remember talking to police four days after the murder so couldn't explain why he didn't think to claim self-defense at that time.
On cross-examination, he admitted that also didn't think to call 911 after the shooting and instead sat with the body "before drinking more."
Ferlazzo Faces 35 Years to Life in Prison
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. Ferlazzo faces 35 years to life, but Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George said on Friday she had not yet decided what to seek.
"There is a mandatory minimum of 35 years," she said. "I think Mr. Ferlazzo taking the stand and saying the things that he did, attempting to blame Emily for this, will, in my mind, be an aggravating factor that would lead me to ask for more than a mandatory minimum."
