Jerice Hunter guilty of killing 5-year-old daughter

Prosecutors repeatedly said that Jerice Hunter tried to make herself the victim by reporting Jhessye Shockley missing after she killed the 5-year-old.

A jury agreed Monday when it convicted Hunter of abusing and killing her daughter while Hunter was pregnant with another child.

The verdict was the culmination of a trial in which prosecutors were unable to produce an eyewitness to the killing or Jhessye's body. Although prosecutors said it was unclear when or how Hunter killed Jhessye, they said Hunter put the girl's body in a suitcase that she dumped in a Tempe garbage bin.

ROBERTS: Finally we come to Jhessye's aid, with justice

The jury of seven men and five women also determined there were several aggravating factors in the case that would merit a harsher penalty for Hunter when she is sentenced June 5.

One of those factors was that Hunter committed fraud against the community by reporting Jhessye missing on Oct. 11, 2011, an act that launched a national search for the girl whose kindergarten teacher described as an emerging leader.

Hunter, 41, faces a term of 35 years to life in prison for Jhessye's death.

Hunter has spent more than 960 days in jail since her September 2012 arrest and has maintained her innocence the entire time. Onlookers said she appeared stoic as the verdict was read, but her mother, Shirley Johnson, erupted, yelling that Jhessye "is not dead" before being ousted from the courtroom.

Outside the courtroom, Johnson said Hunter did not get a fair trial, and she accused Glendale police of not looking for Jhessye. She also railed against the state for not allowing her to take custody of Hunter's children, one of whom was a key witness against her mother.

"They kept them kids here to try and turn them against their mother," Johnson said. "If they was not little Black kids, they would not be treated like that."

A statement issued by the Glendale Police Department following the verdict pointed to the agency's months-long search for Jhessye, including the fruitless three-month dig at a landfill for the girl's body that involved more than 300 people from 14 law-enforcement agencies.

"We are pleased with the jury's decision today as it assures justice does prevail against an individual responsible for the unimaginable crime of murdering a child," the Glendale police statement said. "While the verdict provides some sense of satisfaction, it does not diminish the loss suffered by the family who loved Jhessye or lessen the tragedy a community endures when a child is murdered."

Jury members did not speak to the media following Monday's verdict, and neither did prosecutors Jeannette Gallagher or Blaine Gadow. Hunter's defense attorney, Candice Shoemaker, also was silent.

The case was handed to jurors last week. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Rosa Mroz used an alternate juror Monday morning to replace one dismissed because of medical issues. Mroz then ordered the panel to restart deliberations from the beginning. Hours later, they reached a decision.

When asked what message she wanted to give her daughter, Johnson said she would tell her, "Hold on, sister."

"You a soldier. Hold on," Johnson said. "God knows the truth. That baby is not dead."