CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A jury in Clarksville has found a former Fort Campbell soldier guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the death of his wife after he testified that he shot her multiple times when she provoked him.
The Leaf-Chronicle reports (http://leafne.ws/SltZih ) that after nearly five hours of deliberation, the jury on Thursday found Jonathan Downing guilty of the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter, instead of the first-degree premeditated murder charge that he faced.
Downing testified on Wednesday that on Sept. 8, 2009, he was in the garage when his wife, who he said was drunk, came up behind him and struck him.
Downing said he blacked out briefly and then picked up his pistol when he "registered the threat." He heard a pop but didn't realize he had killed his wife until later.
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