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Jury says Neenah Wal-Mart shooter was mentally responsible (UPDATE)

By: Associated Press//February 26, 2015//

Jury says Neenah Wal-Mart shooter was mentally responsible (UPDATE)

By: Associated Press//February 26, 2015//

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Justine Boyd, left, pleaded no contest to a charge of attempted first degree intentional homicide in Winnebago County Court on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, in Oshkosh, Wis. Boyd is accused of shooting Walmart co-worker Sherry Goffard on Aug. 14, 2013, in Neenah, Wis. A jury will still decide whether Boyd is responsible based on her mental state when the shooting occurred. (AP Photo/The Post-Crescent, Wm. Glasheen)
Justine Boyd sits in a Winnebago County courtroom Feb. 17 in Oshkosh. Boyd is accused of shooting Walmart co-worker Sharon Goffard on Aug. 14, 2013, in Neenah. (AP Photo/The Post-Crescent, Wm. Glasheen)

OSHKOSH, Wis. (AP) — A woman who shot and wounded a co-worker at a Neenah Wal-Mart may have been mentally ill at the time, but knew her actions were wrong, a jury in Winnebago County has determined.

Jurors deliberated about 4-½ hours before the verdict was read Wednesday in the sanity trial for Justine Boyd, who pleaded no contest and was convicted of attempted first-degree intentional homicide last week.

The 48-year-old woman shot Sharon Goffard in August 2013 inside the store’s liquor department. Boyd returned to her cash register and continued to work before she was arrested. Goffard survived following blood transfusions and several surgeries.

The trial included testimony from two doctors who said Boyd suffered from severe paranoid delusions, according to Post-Crescent Media.

“Her fear, her paranoia was such that she couldn’t stop what she was doing,” defense attorney Joseph Hildebrand said. Hildebrand said the physical evidence found at Wal-Mart adds credibility to the role that mental illness played in Boyd’s actions.

Police found a cocked and loaded semi-automatic handgun in the right front pocket of her shirt. They also found a revolver in her bag. She had speed loaders for the revolver and additional ammunition for both guns.

It wouldn’t make sense to have that amount of weaponry to fire one shot, Hildebrand said.

“She’s preparing for a drug cartel to assault her. She’s not preparing to kill Sharon,” he said.

Deputy District Attorney Scott Ceman used store video footage to show jurors the deliberate nature of Boyd’s actions.

“She knows what she’s done was wrong,” Ceman said.

A judge revoked Boyd’s bond and scheduled sentencing for April 23.

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