A jury has acquitted a southern New Jersey man of manslaughter but found him guilty of aggravated assault in the 2014 death of his mother. The Burlington County Times reports the jury handed down the verdict against 47-year-old Marcilo Gacutan on Thursday.
Prosecutors argued that his actions, including putting his hands around her neck, led to 66-year-old Shirley Gacutan's death. But defense attorney Karen Thek said Shirley Gacutan died over unforeseen medical complications after a freak accident in which the two fell down a set of steps during an altercation. Marcilo Gacutan testified that he grabbed her arm and they both fell out of the house and landed at the bottom of the concrete stairway.
He faces up to 10 years behind bars when he's sentenced on May 13.
