YULEE, Fla. – A man once hailed as a hero for pulling his wife out of their burning home was convicted Thursday afternoon of beating her to death with a hammer.
After four hours of deliberations, nine women and three men found Michael Ratley guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Effie Ratley.
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Prosecutors said Ratley hit his wife in the head seven times with a hammer. That hammer, along with a pair of gloves was later found in Ratley's pickup truck.
"This is one door, and I'm sure that there's going to be many, many doors, that we're going to have to go through and then close behind us," said Joy Williams, Effie's stepmother. "Will it ever ease the pain of losing a child? No. Especially in such a horrific manner. No. But it does give us validation, not only to her father and I but to her friends that loved her and adored her and have suffered a great loss along with her family."
After three days of testimony, the prosecution and defense made closing arguments Thursday morning. The assistant state attorney told the jury and that only Ratley could have planned and carried out the crime.
The defense attorney said the state has not proven that Ratley committed the slaying, pointing out that a torn screen window and another man's DNA found on the hammer raises doubt about who killed Effie Ratley.
During closing arguments, prosecutors said they can't come up with a reason why Ratley would do something so horrific. They're just convinced he did, and once again they made their case to convince the jury.
Prosecutor John Guy said common sense, the physical evidence and what was found in Ratley's truck after his wife was found dead should sway the jury.
But defense attorney Bob Willis did his best to convince the jury that someone else, someone other than Ratley, committed the crime.
He also talked about the most compelling evidence ? the murder weapon found in Ratley's truck.
His question -- why would Ratley, who pulled his wife and their son from a burning mobile home only weeks before, kill her, then put the evidence in the one sure place to connect him -- his vehicle.
On Wednesday, Ratley took the stand and calmly answered "No" when asked if he killed his wife.
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Michael Ratley testified that he married, then divorced, then married Effie Ratley again because the two were in love, and he realized she was the love of his life.
Ratley had rescued her and his newborn son from a fire in their mobile home only weeks before she was found dead. He was called a hero.
That changed on Jan. 27, 2007.
Effie Ratley was beaten to death, prosecutors said with a hammer, and Michael Ratley was accused of doing it.
On Wednesday, he said that's not what happened.
Ratley said on the night his wife was killed, he was sleeping on the couch, watching their newborn son. He said he heard a loud noise and walked into the bedroom to find her on the bed.
When it was the prosecution's turn to cross-examine, Ratley was peppered with questions about the evidence police said was found in his truck, including gloves with his DNA on them, prescriptions stolen from a hospital, wire cutters, paper towels with blood, and what's being called the murder weapon -- a hammer.
Ratley said he doesn't know how it got in there.
Prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty beginning the week of Aug. 17.