A Polk County jury convicted a former Pleasant Hill police officer of attempting to murder his estranged wife Monday after hearing nearly four days of testimony and viewing surveillance footage of the 2019 shooting.

Figueroa drew his handgun and fired three shots in rapid succession with a 9mm handgun as Rosario Figueroa went to her car in the driveway of her home in Pleasant Hill that October morning.

The first shot went wild into the windshield of her car. The second and third bullets hit her in her left side. The wound was serious, but she survived after being flown to a hospital in Des Moines.

The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for about five hours before finding Figueoa guilty on all counts. He faces up to 75 years in prison on the most serious charge of attempt to commit murder, a Class A felony. He also was found guilty of discharge of a firearm – attempted murder, a Class C felony; domestic abuse assault with a deadly weapon, a Class D felony; second-degree kidnapping, a Class C felony; and unauthorized use of a handcuffing or restraining device, a Class C felony.

Prosecutors alleged the 31-year Sherman Figueoa drove from his work at the Polk County Jail to his estranged wife’s home to confront her about their marriage. They point to a video showing him arriving at her residence, stopping on the street, getting out of his vehicle to talk to her and, after a short conversation, shooting at her as she attempted to leave in her vehicle.

The defense presented several witnesses, including experts, as they argued Figueoa had been acting in insanity at the time of the shooting. The defense and prosecution had much different views on what transpired. Pete Orbaugh, Figuera’s attorney, said the shooting might have been warranted as self-defense because his estranged wife had a restraining order against him and said she had been receiving threats. Orbaugh showed jurors text messages between Rosario and Figuera to support his case.

Prosecutors dismissed the idea of self-defense, describing it as “preposterous.” They focused the narrative on surveillance footage of the shooting and pointed out the distance between Figueoa and his wife would make it hard to justify it as self-defense.

Testifying in his own behalf, Figueoa said his estranged wife was getting involved with another man and that he felt trapped in the marriage. He said he tried to use his handcuffs on her during the confrontation but she “escaped.” He also told the court he fired shots at the vehicle with the intention to puncture a tire and keep her from leaving.

Judge Robert B. Dawson, who presided over the trial, will decide the sentencing. It has not been set.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l1w1w41xzo