Dimeo Guilty in Jewelry Store Murders

Guilty.  With that one little word, Christopher DiMeo officially went from murder suspect to convicted murderer. 

A jury on Wednesday found DiMeo guilty of four charges stemming from the Feb. 2, 2005 murders of Fairfield jewelers Tim and Kim Donnelly. 

The Connecticut Post reports DiMeo winced as the verdict was read and one female juror was visibly upset during the proceeding in a Bridgeport courtroom. 

The trial began on Jan. 18, with the state outlining an apparently overwhelming case against the 29-year-old, former Queens, New York resident. 

Among the evidence, prosecutors showed that Tim Donnelly's blood was found on DiMeo's boots, his car and his gun, the Post reports. 

He'd also previously robbed three New York jewelry stores, killing the manager of one before targeting the Donnelly's store on Poast Road, the newspaper reports. 

DiMeo's attorney never disputed the fact that his client shot the Donnellys, but claimed he was high on heroin and never intended to kill anyone when he went into the jewelry store that day. 

Still, it took just four hours of deliberation for the jury to return the guilty verdict. 

The case now heads to the penalty phase, where the same jury will have to decide if Dimeo will receive the death penalty. 

DiMeo's lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Michael Courtney, is hopeful he can save is client's life. 

"We are going to put on a lot about his family life and I think we will do OK," Courtney told the Post. 

That part of the trial begins on Feb. 28.

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