OLATHE, KS (KCTV) -
An Olathe man accused of killing his wife's caretaker was found guilty of second-degree murder.
A Johnson County jury on Friday convicted Stephen Collier, 60, of fatally shooting 54-year-old Susanne Goslin in December. He was originally charged with first-degree murder.
Jurors did not find that the crime was premeditated, according to one juror who asked to remain anonymous.
"There was a lot of discussion on that, and eventually what we decided on was second degree," the juror said. "In this case, it seemed like everything was possible."
Collier testified on his own behalf during the course of two days. He said Goslin was attempting to kill herself when he tried to stop her. He said the gun went off, and she shot herself in the head.
"She kind of pushed the gun, and her thumb was on the trigger," he said.
Collier admitted to having an affair with Goslin, but he said she was drunk and suicidal the night of the shooting.
But the medical examiner testified Wednesday that Goslin did not shoot herself based on the lack of gunpowder residue.
"Even if she held it as far as she could, her reach is only going to be about 2 feet," Dr. Michael Handler, the medical examiner in this case, testified.
Authorities were called to Collier's home on East 153rd Street in Olathe. When police arrived, they found the body of Goslin, a live-in caretaker for Collier's wife, Molly, who suffered from multiple sclerosis.
On Wednesday, Collier told the jury how he even tried to hide the gun from Goslin.
"It didn't even dawn on me that I told her where the gun that I hid from her was, because at that time, she had calmed down and wasn't making so much noise about actually shooting herself," Collier said.
Collier's next court appearance is 4 p.m. Nov. 27.
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