A Butler County jury this morning found a young Seven Fields man guilty of killing his best friend.

Eric Rutledge, 19, was found guilty of third-degree murder.

He had admitted to shooting Courtney Rose Daily with a 12-gauge shotgun in his Seven Fields apartment Nov. 16, 2010.

But Rutledge, who testified during his three-day trial, said he didn't intentionally kill Daily. Rather, he said he forgot he had loaded the gun when he pulled the trigger.

For a third-degree murder conviction, the jury did not have to believe the killing was intentional. However, the jury must find that Rutledge acted with malice.

“A killing is with malice if the perpetrator's actions show his wanton and willful disregard of an unjustified and extremely high risk that his conduct would result in death or serious bodily injury to another,” according to the law read to the jury by Judge William Shaffer.

Defense attorney Alexander Lindsay, in his closing argument Wednesday, stressed to the jury that prosecutors had demonstrated “not even a hint” of a motive for Rutledge to harm his longtime best friend.

The jury had several choices. It could have found Rutledge guilty of first-degree murder, of third-degree murder, or of involuntary manslaughter, or it could have acquitted him.

“Don't find him not guilty because you think he's young and stupid,” Assistant District Attorney Christine Studeny said in her closing argument.

Calling the incident a “kill for a thrill” crime, Studeny deemed Rutledge's excuse that he forgot the gun was loaded “convenient.” And she argued that pointing a loaded weapon at a person demonstrates malice.

“This was no accident,” she said.

The 8-woman, 4-man jury deliberated more than five hours Wednesday, and for several hours this morning.