HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- A Madison County jury this morning found Billy Cardwell not guilty of murder in the July 2011 shooting death of Albert Sanford.

Cardwell, 35, testified he shot Sanford in self-defense after Sanford pulled a gun on him and then cocked it during an altercation at Cardwell's estranged girlfriend's apartment on Winchester Road on July 14, 2011.

Prosecutors had argued Cardwell was angry that night and cited witness testimony that he was making threats before entering the apartment.

But there was no testimony from any witness other than Cardwell about what happened in the apartment.

Cardwell testified for about two hours Wednesday.

The six-man, six woman jury deliberated for more than five hours beginning Thursday afternoon before announcing their verdict late this morning.

Sanford family members cried softly after the verdict was read.

Cardwell's attorney Larry Marsili said he thought the jury gave careful consideration to the evidence. Marsili had argued the state presented no evidence disproving Cardwell's version of the shooting.

"Obviously we're pleased the jury was able to work through everything presented and arrive at the verdict Billy and I thought was appropriate," Marsili said. "But that doesn't change the fact that a young man lost his life. Mr. Cardwell remains saddened that the situation even happened."

The jury submitted two interesting questions to Circuit Judge Chris Comer late Thursday and the court addressed them this morning. Cardwell is on probation and he testified he was out of state without authorization from Ohio and was carrying a gun at the time of the incident.

State law on self-defense says deadly force can be used if a person is reasonably certain deadly force is about to be used against them, and it is used to protect themselves or someone else. But the law also provides that the person cannot be involved in unlawful activity at the time of the incident and they have the right to be in that location.

Madison County Assistant District Attorney Randy Dilly and Assistant DA Melissa Heron, who prosecuted Cardwell, had argued during the trial he had no right to be in the apartment that night.

Jurors questioned whether Cardwell's possession of gun was unlawful activity and whether being engaged in unlawful activity negated the self-defense claim.

Comer said his job was not to try and interpret the intent of the jury's question. He reread the code section to the jury and directed them to return to their deliberations.

The verdict came back about an hour later.