John Ward was found guilty of aggravated assault, weapons offenses and making terroristic threats but not of attempted murder.
TRENTON - A Trenton man who put his wife in a chokehold, pointed a gun at her head and threatened her was found not guilty of attempted murder Friday, but convicted of other offenses.
John Ward, 55 John Ward, 55, was initially charged with attempted murder, making terroristic threats, aggravated assault and weapons offenses after a 2013 incident when prosecutors say he lured his wife to his home, held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her.
Prosecutors claimed Thursday that Ward tried to click the gun against his wife's head in an attempt to shoot her. Ward's public defender, Anthony Cowell claimed that the gun was jammed and that Ward knew it.
On Friday, after a day of deliberation, jurors determined that Ward was guilty of aggravated assault, weapons offenses and making terroristic threats, but he was not guilty of attempted murder. After breaking for lunch, jurors came back to discuss the final charge - a convicted felon in possession of a weapon.
They determined that Ward - who was convicted of a felony around 16 years ago, according to Cowell - was guilty of the final charge as well.
The decision came after weeks of Ward's trial during which jurors listened to prosecutors paint Ward's marriage with his estranged wife as tumultuous.
Ward's public defender, Anthony Cowell claimed that Ward was in love with his wife and merely trying to, "scare her back into his arms."
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.