Syracuse, NY - Dr. Robert Neulander has just been found guilty in the 2012 death of his wife.

A jury of six men and six women found Neulander guilty in the Sept. 17, 2012 death of his wife, Leslie, 61, in their DeWitt home. The jury deliberated for 18 hours over four days.

Dr. Neulander faces 25 years to life in prison. His sentence will be decided by County Court Judge Thomas J. Miller.

He was accused of killing his wife and then attempting to cover the death up as an accident in the shower. He was found guilty of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.

Neulander, 63, a prominent obstetrician-gynecologist who has delivered thousands of babies in Central New York, did not cry as the verdict was read. He looked straight ahead. His children cried. The doctor whispered something to them that could not be heard.

The courtroom was packed and a second courtroom was opened with a closed-circuit video feed.

When the guilty verdict was read, his daughter Jenna Neulander screamed and cried. A collective gasp was heard in the second courtroom.

"Daddy, look at me! I love you! You're innocent!" Jenna cried from the gallery.

The doctor was placed into handcuffs. Jenna, who testified on his behalf, cried: "I was there. You didn't do it."

She told her father, "We will get you out."

The judge said Neulander will be held without bail until a May 1 sentencing.

Neulander's family appeared to have been escorted through an exit other than the courtroom's main entry.

Defense attorney Edward Z. Menkin indicated to the media he will appeal.

"This case has been a travesty from start to finish," he said. "It's not finished."

Menkin called his client the most honorable person he's ever met.

Fitzpatrick, who took questions in his office, took exception to Menkin's characterization of the verdict. Calling that label "unfair," Fitzpatrick said he knew a lot more about Neulander than the jury knows.

He said Jenna Neulander went into "protect-my-dad mode" throughout the investigation. While he understood Jenna was grieving, that is not a reason to mislead a jury, Fitzpatrick said.

He, however, indicated the daughter would not be prosecuted for perjury. The doctor's family, who stood by him through the trial, were his victims along with his wife, Fitzpatrick said.

Jenna Neulander, 25, who was home on the day her mother died, took the stand to lend support to her father's account that Leslie Neulander died in the shower.

Ari Neulander, the couple's 23-year-old son, testified that his father and he spoke the night before about running on the day his mother died. While the father said he ran that morning, his son was unable to join him.

Joanne London, Leslie Neulander's sister, also testified glowingly about Neulander as a devoted husband. She said her sister suffered from vertigo which made her susceptible to falling.

Bud London, Leslie's only other sibling, also attended the trial in support of his brother-in-law.

Menkin said the family doesn't want to talk at this time.

The jury reached its verdict at 10:28 a.m. It was announced in the courtroom at 11:10 a.m. Security was increased in the courtroom prior to its announcement. Eight guards were stationed in the court. Four stood between Neulander and the gallery.

He and his wife were known for their generosity to charities in the Jewish community.

Leslie Neulander chaired fundraising events at the Syracuse Hebrew Day School in DeWitt and served on its board. Robert Neulander was more involved in the Jewish Community Center. He played a key role in the center's expansion and the creation of the facility's Neulander Sports and Fitness Center.

The Neulanders chaired the 2012 annual campaign of the Jewish Federation of Central New York which raised about $1 million.