May 10, 2007 By Jennifer Harr 1 min read

A Fayette County jury of eight women and four men convicted a Normalville man of voluntary manslaughter for killing his estranged wife’s lover on Oct. 19, 2005.

Raymond Prinkey’s attorney asked jurors to acquit him entirely, claiming that the 50-year-old engineer was acting in self-defense when he shot James Cononico in the head. Cononico, 50, was at Prinkey’s wife’s Connellsville apartment.

Prosecutors asked jurors to convict Cononico of first-degree murder. To find that, jurors had to believe that Prinkey premeditated the shooting.

The voluntary manslaughter finding means that jurors believed either that the shooting was done in the heat of passion or that the shooting was imperfect self-defense.

Prinkey testified that Cononico made a move for the 9mm Prinkey had with him and he had to shoot. Prosecutors cited Prinkey’s testimony that he intended to kill Cononico – and told jurors that other testimony indicated Cononico was standing with his back to Prinkey and his hands in the air.

Judge Ralph C. Warman will sentence Prinkey on May 30.