JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jerry Burns was found guity of first-degree murder for his involvement in the murder-for-hire plot that killed his wife on Friday.
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Burns’ wife, Velvet Burns, was found stabbed to death on the Westside in 2019.
It took the jury 20 minutes to find Burns guilty as charged. Burns is charged with murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation to commit a capital felony.
The jury decided Burns and his mistress Amanda Love hired a hit man to make the murder look like burglary.
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According to the Office of the State Attorney, Love previously pleaded guilty to Second-Degree Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Murder on July 16, 2019. She was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The hit man, Stephen Hand, pleaded guilty to First-Degree Murder on Aug. 2, 2022. He was sentenced to life in Florida State Prison without the possibility of parole.
On Monday, the jury will determine if Burns faced the death penalty or life in prison.
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