A woman who fatally stabbed her partner at their Lower Hutt home has walked from court a free woman.
Jessica Keefe, 30, was found not guilty of Sean Verma's murder in January 2013, and a majority of the jury also found her not guilty of manslaughter.
Jessica Keefe. Photo: RNZ
The Crown said Ms Keefe had arrived home drunk and in an angry mood and stabbed Mr Verma in the chest.
However, the defence lawyer said Ms Keefe had used the knife in self-defence.
After jurors deliberated for nine-and-a-half hours, Justice Collins indicated on Thursday he would take a majority verdict if they could not reach a unanimous decision.
Following the not guilty verdict on the murder charge, the jurors indicated a majority of them also found Ms Keefe not guilty of manslaughter.
After their first two hours of deliberations on Wednesday, the jury returned to court to ask a question about the meaning of "beyond reasonable doubt".
After receiving directions from the judge they retired for the evening and returned on Thursday.
After the verdicts, Ms Keefe's lawyer Donald Stevens said the trial had been a terrific ordeal for his client, who had been traumatised for a third time.
Mr Stevens says the facts made it clear Ms Keefe was acting in self-defence and in those circumstances, the Crown should have used its discretion and not prosecuted her.
He says she was traumatised by years of abuse, by the events of the night when the death occurred and by the state putting her on trial for murder.
Outside court, Mr Verma's father, Ray Verma, said he disagreed with the verdict.
He says the family is still grieving the loss of their son and regardless of the verdict, nothing will bring him back.
