Man acting as own attorney found guilty of capital murder

Terri Sanvicente, beaten to death on Christmas Eve 2009, had three children with Jason Bouchard. "She was always afraid of what he was going to do next," one of her lawyers said. Photo: Courtesy of the Harris County District Attorneys Office. less Terri Sanvicente, beaten to death on Christmas Eve 2009, had three children with Jason Bouchard. "She was always afraid of what he was going to do next," one of her lawyers said. Photo: Courtesy of the Harris ... more Photo: Courtesy Of The Harris County Di Photo: Courtesy Of The Harris County Di Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Man acting as own attorney found guilty of capital murder 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

A man who acted as his own attorney in a capital murder trial was found guilty Friday and received an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole.

Jason Bouchard, 40, was convicted of beating his estranged wife to death with a crowbar and setting fire to her northwest Houston house on Dec. 24, 2009, while the couple's three children cowered in a bedroom with a nanny.

The children managed to escape with the nanny and now live with a friend of their mother, Terri Sanvicente.

Bouchard, who dismissed his court-appointed attorneys shortly before his trial began April 4, gave closing arguments Friday morning.

He spoke for 15 or 20 minutes, about the same amount of time it took the jury to find him guilty.

Co-prosecutors Lauren Byrne and Kelli Johnson said they were surprised at his skill as a speaker.

"He did a pretty good opening statement and closing argument," Byrne said Friday afternoon. "We didn't think there was any merit to it, but he's a very smart, bright man."

Byrne said she and Johnson agreed the trial was something they had never seen before and are unlikely to see again, both in the fact that Bouchard represented himself on a capital murder charge and because his testimony was so chilling.

"We've never seen somebody take the stand confessing to such a brutal murder, getting so much enjoyment out of describing details to the audience," Byrne said. "He thoroughly enjoyed the audience."

At one time employed by a cable television company, Bouchard became a stay-at-home father after the couple's children were born, Byrne said.

But over time, Bouchard lost his home and his children.

In opening arguments last week, Byrne told the jury that the violent scene at Sanvicente's home that fateful night occurred six weeks after a jury had awarded Sanvicente sole custody of the couple's children, who were then 8, 5 and 3 years old.

Bouchard, a high school graduate, also acted as his own attorney in the custody trial.

Two years before that, in November 2007, Sanvicente had Bouchard formally evicted from her home because she had tried asking him to leave but he wouldn't go, Byrne said.

At the time of the eviction, Sanvicente drove him to San Antonio so he could stay with relatives, but he took a bus back and stayed with neighbors or at a shelter so he could be near her house, Byrne said.

"It was his drive to do nothing but focus on her and how, eventually, he was going to end her life," Byrne said.

To act as his own attorney in the capital case, Bouchard had to waive his right to appeal because of ineffective assistance of counsel.

His court-appointed attorneys, Terry Gaiser and Wayne Hill, sat at the counsel table during the trial.