‘Facebook killer’ convicted of murdering wife, then posting photos of body on social media

A Florida man who killed his wife and posted a photo of the bloody corpse on Facebook has been convicted of second-degree murder after failing to convince a jury that he shot her eight times in self-defence.

The jury verdict came on Wednesday in the third week of Derek Medina's trial in the August 2013 killing of 27-year-old Jennifer Alfonso at their Miami home. Medina told police in a videotaped statement he shot his wife during an altercation in which she threatened him with a knife.

Medina, who did not testify in his own defence, admitted in the police statement taking a cellphone photo of his dead wife's body and uploading it on Facebook, along with a posting that said he expected to go to prison but was forced to kill her following years of physical abuse.

Prosecutors said Medina had vowed to kill Alfonso if she tried to leave him, which she told friends she planned to do. They also pointed out that at 1.83 metres tall and 91kg, Medina could have easily overpowered his 1.68 metre wife without shooting her.

Alfonso's mother, Carolyn Knox, burst into tears when the verdict was read after about six hours of jury deliberation over two days. She declined comment to reporters. Medina's father, also named Derek Medina, would not comment.

Medina showed no emotion as he was handcuffed and led back to jail, where he has been held since the killing. His attorney, Saam Zangeneh, said there will be an appeal.

The second-degree murder conviction means that Medina, 33, faces a sentence of 25 years to life in prison.