Tonch Weldon deliberations continue

Jurors in the first-degree murder trial of Tonch Weldon, 39, of Blairstown, begin their fourth day of deliberations at 9 a.m. Monday in Iowa County District Court.

Reporter Trish Mehaffey will provide live coverage from the courtroom when the verdict comes in.

The jury started deliberations last Wednesday afternoon following a week-long trial.

Assistant Attorney General Denise Timmins said in her closing Weldon aimed and shot Amy Gephart, 35, directly in the heart, and asked them to convict him of first-degree murder. The shooting was deliberate and premeditated. Weldon, an avid and experienced hunter, shot Gephart once in the chest with a 20-gauge shotgun before turning the gun on himself June 7, 2009 in his home.

During the trial, Tonch Weldon's wife Amanda Weldon testified she and her husband had an open marriage and Gephart lived with them and was their sexual partner until she fell in love with Gephart. They had decided to leave Weldon and after arguing that day, Amanda said Tonch shot Gephart in front of her and then tried to shoot himself more than once.

Dennis Cohen, Weldon's attorney, in his closing said it was a “crime of passion.” Weldon was intoxicated that day, under stress, sleep deprived and the shooting wasn't premeditated. The state didn't prove first-degree murder. He asked the jury to consider a lesser charge - voluntary manslaughter, which carries 10 years in prison, instead of life for first-degree murder.