Alabama husband, 47, convicted of manslaughter for the death of his camgirl wife despite her mother testifying in his defense after his fingerprints were found on the absinthe bottle murder weapon
An Alabama man has been convicted of reckless manslaughter after his fingerprints were found on the glass bottle used to beat his camgirl wife to death.
William Jeffrey West, 47, of Calera was accused of killing Kathleen 'Kat' Dawn West, 42, by beating her with the Lucid Absinthe bottle on January 13, 2018.
Her partially clothed body was found by a passing motorist around 5am the following day outside the couple's home.
West was found guilty of manslaughter on Friday despite Kat's own family maintaining his innocence and her mother testifying in his defense at trial.
Kat, who bore a resemblance to Marilyn Monroe, was a stay-at-home mom who lived a double live as a 'camgirl'.
She had a subscription-only website where she went by the name of Kitty Kat West and posted risqué-photos of herself.
She also publicly posted lingerie photos online while charging viewers to see sexier images.
West's trial began on Tuesday with prosecutors arguing he had killed his wife during a fight following a 'date night' that included him taking racy photos of her.
They said that she died from a blow to the head and that both her blood and her husband's fingerprints were on the bottle.
William Jeffrey West, 47, of Calera was accused of killing Kathleen 'Kat' Dawn West, 42, by beating her to death with a Lucid Absinthe bottle on January 13, 2018
Kat, who bore a resemblance to Marilyn Monroe, was a 'camgirl' who had a subscription-only website where she went by the name of Kitty Kat West and posted risqué-photos of herself
Yet West claimed Kat had been drunk and died accidentally after she fell and hit her head.
The victim's mother, Nancy Martin, backed him up, describing her daughter outside court as an alcoholic who took medication for bipolar disorder and had a history of binge drinking.
Despite the testimony from her family, West was found guilty at around 10pm Friday after the jury deliberated for five hours, according to Alabama.com.
He had originally been charged with murder but prosecutors still welcomed the manslaughter conviction.
'While we continue to believe this was an intentional murder, we are pleased he is being brought to justice,' said Shelby County Assistant District Attorney Daniel McBrayer.
West was said to be 'stunned' by the outcome and remained silent as he was found guilty.
'We maintained that he was innocent, that the evidence supported a not guilty verdict, so we're disappointed but we have to respect the juries' decision at this point,' said his attorney John Robbins.
'Jeff is stunned,' Robbins added. 'He has maintained he did not kill his wife since Day 1 and that's still his position. It's never going to change and all he can do is keep fighting this.'
During the four-day trial, the jury heard how the couple returned home from dinner on the January night in 2018, stopping off at a liquor store where they bought Jameson whiskey and the bottle of Absinthe.
They both drank a lot before they began the photo shoot at around 9.30pm in which Kat posed in a pink bra, pink multi-colored panties and pink stiletto shoes.
West told police there had been some strain within their marriage because Kat had a higher sex drive than him and enjoyed having sex four to five times a week
During the four-day trial, the jury heard how the couple returned home from dinner on the January night in 2018, stopping off at a liquor store, pictured above
They bought Jameson whiskey and the bottle of Absinthe used to beat Kat to death
'Yes, she had a website. She posed nude. She did that for her own self-esteem, Robbins said. 'Jeff was fully aware of what his wife did, and he assisted her.'
Yet, prosecutors claimed that an argument then erupted as West was 'fed up with this Instagram stuff'.
'He grabs her phone and chunks it out the front door where it lands in the street,' the alleged.
Testimony previously heard that Kat's phone was cracked at the time of her death.
During the third day of proceedings on Thursday, jurors listened to West's 90-minute interview with police where he was asked about the events leading up to Kat's death and the couple's sex life.
Prosecutors on Thursday reveled West's left thumb and ring finger prints were found on the Lucid absinthe bottle (stock image) and suggested he had held it by its throat'
West told investigators his wife's job as an exhibitionist did not bother him and that he and she 'were in a good spot', AL reported.
He did however admit there had been some strain within their marriage because Kat had a higher sex drive than him and enjoyed having sex four to five times a week.
'I'm not as sexual as she is,' he told police. 'It is what it is. I'm happy with myself. She wasn't happy with it.'
Despite their differences, West insisted he would never hurt his wife.
'We were totally in a good spot,' he said. 'I would not hurt my wife, not even accidentally. I would not hurt my wife.'
During the interview West also revealed Kat was bisexual and had recently 'wanted to look into that lifestyle'.
He also said the two talked openly about her camgirl job and there was 'nothing to be jealous about.'
'It's just pictures. She got money for it,' he said, adding that she had 'never stepped out on the marriage.'
Kat's family had spoken out in her husband's defense and claimed he was innocent
West revealed Kat was bisexual and had recently 'wanted to look into that lifestyle'
Jeffrey was charged with her death and accused of using a bottle of liquor to kill her by hitting her in the head. His defense attorney argued that Kat was drunk and fell and hit her head that night after West went to sleep at 10.30pm. Jeffrey pictured above in orange jumpsuit
On the night of her death, West claimed he went to bed at 10.30pm and only discovered his wife had been killed the following morning.
Prosecutors, however, presented the jury with evidence contradicting West's claims.
They revealed data taken from his iPhone Health app showed he had taken 18 steps between 11.03pm and 11.10pm - when he was apparently sleeping.
Steven Payne, and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency print examiner, also told the jury West's left thumb and ring finger prints were found on the absinthe bottle.
The prints suggested he had held the bottle by the 'throat' instead of the base, according to AL.
On January 13, 2018 Kathleen Dawn 'Kat' West, 42, was found partially nude by a passing motorist around 5am outside the couple's Calera home
During the prosecution's opening statements in Shelby County Court Tuesday, Prosecutor Daniel McBrayer said there was evidence that the couple had prior arguments before her death.
He said evidence in the case will also show how many times West hit her with the bottle and that a medical examiner will testify that there was nothing else in the area where her body was found that could've been used to kill her.
'It did not result from a fall,' the prosecutor said. 'When this person got hit, they were going down fast.'
Defense attorney John Charles Robbins earlier told jurors that the cause of Kat's death was blunt force trauma based on an autopsy report, which did not rule out falling.
Kat's parents have publicly defended the man, whom they described during interviews as a devoted, loving husband and a good father to the couple's teenage daughter.
The Army veteran worked as a campus police officer at Birmingham-Southern College before his arrest.
West stayed with his in-laws after the woman's death and before his arrest.
He faces between two and 20 years in prison when he is sentenced and is being remanded in jail until the hearing in 60 days time after his $500,00 bond was revoked.
McBrayer said that he would be asking for a prison sentence at the hearing.
West's defense is going to argue, however, that he should be placed on probation according to Kat's family's wishes.
'The family, (Kat West's parents) would want that. They're in shock,' Robbins said.
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