Patterson Trial Ends With Guilty Verdict

Utica, NY (WIBX) - Christian Patterson was found guilty on all charges related to the stand-off in the Town of Augusta last June, that led to the death of Oneida County Sheriff's Deputy, Kurt B. Wyman. "The first count was aggravated murder, the second and third counts were attempted aggravated murder for the additional shots fired at other officers, the fourth count was a misdemeanor criminal possession of a weapon 4th degree, and the fifth count was a violation of harassment, which would be the domestic incident that preceded the stand-off," said Oneida County Assistant District Attorney, Mike Kaluzza, who lead the prosecution team that tried this case.

It took the jury about two hours to come up with their verdict. At one point, they requested to have the definition of intent explained to them. After the verdict was read, the Wyman family, members of the sheriff's department and the prosecution team gathered to make a public statement and to thank those who supported them throughout the ordeal. Wyman's father said, "The facts spoke out loud and clear, the jury did their job and they did it well. It's going to be a time now to get over this part and into other days of our lives, another chapter to try and get some kind of normalcy back into our lives, but we are happy with the verdict."

Lauren Wyman, the victim's widow, says she'll remember her late-husband in many ways. "Funny stories come to mind, I think sharing memories is the biggest thing. It's the most important thing ... his love for life, his life for Christ, his love for his family, his love for his babies," she said, as tears rolled down her face. She said she would not have been able to attend the trial on a daily basis without the overwhelming support the family has received from the law enforcement community and many others. When asked what she plans to tell her children about their father, she said, "That they had a very strong father who had a passion for life, a passion for his God, a passion for his family, he did everything to the fullest and I really hope that I can continue to emulate that to them and really stand for what he believed in, for what he died doing."

Patterson's family members expressed remorse for his actions, but said they were disappointed with the verdict, even calling for one of the expert witnesses--Dr. Laurence Farago, a forensic psychiatrist at Central New York Psychiatric Center who testified for the prosecution--to lose his medical license for what they call his "interrogation" of Patterson. They also voiced their dissapointment with defense attorney Frank Debush for not calling the six character witnesses to testify on behalf of Patterson. Patterson's mother says despite the outcome, she will continue to pray for the Wyman family everyday.

Patterson is facing life in prison without the possibility of parole. He will be sentenced on April 11th.